Hogwarts: Legends Unite
by TumblrTimeTurner-BlueAndBronze
Summary: Merida, Jack, Elsa, Hiccup, and Rapunzel, are ready to begin their seven-year education at Hogwarts. Little do they know, a centuries-old evil is rising to power. If it isn't stopped, it will destroy everything they once loved. Collab. (Big Four/ROTBTFD Hogwarts AU)
1. Now's when my life begins

**As of March 2017: We are going back and editing this fic chapter by chapter. This one alone took us… three or four months? (Mainly because we're lazy procrastinators, but whatever). Anyway, you may find some plot inconsistencies for a little while, but they will get smoothed over eventually.**

 **Just so you know, this is a collab fic (and account), that's why we say 'we'.**

 **So… yeah. Enjoy!**

 **Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 1, Chapter 1**

 **Merida**

I was six when it happened first. It was my birthday, and my father had gifted me my first bow.

My mother wasn't pleased. "Fergus! You should know better! Merida is a lady!"

My father had laughed. "Elinor! That's a rather backward attitude, isn't it? Merida should be free to choose any hobby she likes."

While they were arguing, I had snuck away into forest, taking the bow and a quiver of arrows with me. The ground was mossy, and the air was cool. Dappled green light shone down from the treetops, growing darker the further I wandered.

I stopped walking once I could no longer see anything other than trees. I managed to get an arrow on the bowstring string, and pulled it as hard as I could. Squinting, I took aim at a dark splotch on a tree trunk, about forty feet away.

The string was slicing into my small fingers, so with a grunt I let it slip. The arrow shot off through the trees, and to my excitement, embedded itself in the exact place I'd been aiming for.

I ran to fetch it, twisting the arrowhead out of the tree. I put it back on my bowstring and set my sights on another target. A branch with a bright green shoot poking out of the bark. I took aim, and just as I was about to release it-

"Merida! What do you think you're doing?"

I turned as my fingers were loosening, and the arrow landed somewhere to the side. I didn't even get to see where it was before Mum had grabbed me by the arm.

"Don't wander off into the forest, Merida! You could have gotten lost! You're coming inside with me right now."

I didn't want to obey, but being only small I couldn't put up much of a fight. Reluctant, I hoisted the quiver over my shoulder and put my hand in hers.

As we walked back towards the house, I turned back to see if I could spot the arrow. I scanned the area, but couldn't see any sign. Then with a start, I realised it was once again exactly where I'd aimed. Right through the middle of the little green shoot.

I had puzzled over it in bed that night. I _knew_ I hadn't been aiming at the tree when I let go of the arrow, yet there it had been.

I came to a conclusion.

There was no other explanation. It was magic.

At first I thought it was the bow that had done it, but in the years following my sixth birthday, other things started happening. Strange things.

Once, I was in the kitchen washing the dishes, and I dropped a plate. I _heard_ it shatter, but when I looked down it was all in one piece.

Another time, my mother had wanted me to wear a dress to a dinner party I was being forced to attend. She left the room to fetch it… and returned ten minutes later, unable to find it.

I didn't make any of these happen consciously, but I had worked out that it was me causing them. I was different to the other people at home or at school. I was magic.

Before I knew it, I was eleven years old. It was the summer holidays, I'd finished primary school, and my parents had enrolled me in secondary school. My future was planned out for me.

It _was_. But then the stranger showed up at the door.

"Merida, can you get that?" my mother called down the stairs. The doorbell had rung.

I rolled off the couch and walked into the entrance hall. I unlatched the front door, and pulled it open. The visitor was a rotund man, dressed in strange long robes and with a moustache that looked like two needles.

"Hello, dear," he said, giving me a curt smile. "You wouldn't happen to be Merida DunBroch, would you?"

"Yes," I said, growing suspicious. I had never seen this man before in my life, and he definitely wasn't local. Instead of the local Scottish accent I was used to, he sounded like a posh Englishman.

"Good, good. Er…" he peered over my head, into the hall. "Any chance I could come in?"

I realised I had probably been very rude by not inviting him inside immediately. I stepped aside. "Of course."

He nodded, gathering up his robes in one hand as he stepped through the door. In the other hand, he was holding a bunch of paper, and a money pouch.

"Who is it, Merida?" my mother asked, walking down the stairs. She caught sight of the man for herself.

"A visitor," I said unhelpfully.

"Mrs DunBroch!" said the man as Mum stepped off the last stair. "I am Professor Cogsworth of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Witchcraft?" Mum said, ignoring his outstretched hand. "Whatever do you mean by that? And did you say _school_? Why-?"

"Allow me to elaborate," said the Professor. "Hogwarts is a boarding school for magically gifted students aged eleven to eighteen. Your daughter, as I am sure she is already aware, has – let's say – _abnormal_ abilities. She is what we would refer to as a witch."

My mother was lost for words. "You're saying my daughter is… magic?"

"Precisely." The Professor held up the papers he had brought with him, unfolding them to show to her. "And she has been accepted into one of the most prestigious magical schools in the world, Hogwarts. This here is a letter from the Headmaster, Professor St. North, and this is a list of the things Merida will need for classes. Cauldron, robes, wand – that sort of thing."

Mum was trying to keep up. "She'll have a wand? Where are we supposed to find a _wand_? How…? Is- is this a joke?"

"No joke, madam. There a world of witches and wizards out there, living amongst the muggles – that's our word for non-magical folk like you. We have our own sports, shops, villages, money system… schools too, of course."

My mother made no reply.

"Oh, and not to worry about finding school supplies. We shall arrange a date for me to accompany her to Diagon Alley. Lots of shops there, they shall have everything we need."

Mum was still overwhelmed. "Thank you, Professor. I, er… Merida! Why don't you go and play outside? We can discuss this… school some more. Maudie!"

Our housekeeper, Maudie, shouted from the kitchen. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Would you mind fetching Fergus, and preparing tea for the two of us and a visitor?"

"Right away ma'am!"

My mother exhaled, and flapped her hand at me. "Off you go, darling. We'll call you back afterwards."

Dejected, I walked out the door. I wanted to know more about this Professor, and about the whole world of magical people that existed right under our noses. People – witches and wizards – who could do strange things, like me! And there was a whole _school_ for us? Did that mean I could learn how to use make whenever I wanted, cast spells and things intentionally? I was quite proud of the little tricks I could do, but they all happened by accident. Imagine if I could control them!

I loitered outside the house for a while, trying to overhear the conversation my parents were having with Professor Cogsworth. I felt sure I was going to die if they didn't let me go to Hogwarts. Regular secondary school already seemed like the dreariest thing on the planet.

Finally, _finally_ , I heard my father calling my name. I rushed back inside as fast as I could, desperate to hear the outcome of what felt like hours of discussion.

I found the three grown-ups in the sitting room. They were gathered around a coffee table with three empty teacups on it. They all looked up as I entered the room.

"Well?" I put my hands on my hips.

My mother stood up and walked over to me. "You never told us you had strange powers."

"I didn't think you'd believe me," I said. "But does that matter now? Are you going to let me go or not?"

Mum folded her hands. "Well, Professor Cogsworth has explained a lot more to us now. This 'wizarding world' seems quite extraordinary." She sighed. "Of course, we'd have to cancel your enrolment at the other school, but… I suppose that could be arranged."

"So I can go?" I asked, hardly daring to hope.

My mum nodded, smiling. "You can go."

"Yes!" I wrapped my arms around her. "Thank you!"

Professor Cogsworth smiled. "I or another teacher will be here on Saturday to take you shopping for school supplies at Diagon Alley. Then, you start school on the first of September."

 **Jack**

I looked up slowly, taking my head off my folded arms.

Mr Ramsey, my teacher, was still attempting to enlighten the class about the wonders of long multiplication. Being the last period of the last day of school, it wasn't working. Everyone was talking amongst themselves, quietly enough that it could pass as discussing the lesson. The teacher's solution to this was to keep droning on at the exact same volume as before. Honestly, I don't he cared about the lesson any more than we did.

I was bored out of my brain. A lot of wizarding families homeschooled their kids. Not mine. My mum had to work during the day, from morning till evening and sometimes longer, so my sister Emma and I went to a muggle school instead. My desk was right next to the window of the small room, which gave me the opportunity to daydream. But all I could do today was stare out at the oval. I couldn't wait to escape at the end of the day.

"Hey." I prodded the girl sitting next to me. "What's the time?"

She turned around. "Time to get a watch."

"I hate you." Normally I would have dropped it, but I had to know. "I'm serious, what time is it?"

She groaned and checked her watch. "2:20. That's forty minutes left."

"I could've worked that out on my own," I muttered, mostly to myself.

"You sure? Because the D you got in maths is sitting right there on your desk."

I looked down at the test paper we'd gotten back earlier that day. I hastily stuffed it under my English result… which was also a D. The girl gave a muffled snicker and turned back to her friends' conversation.

I piled up the graded papers from the different subjects, most of them fails, and shoved them into my schoolbag. Mum might want to see them later, but I'd keep them hidden in case she forgot.

I breathed out, ready to put my head back on the desk, when there came a sharp tap from the window next to me. I started. Right there on the windowsill was a bird – an owl. It stared at me, tilting its head, before giving the window another loud peck.

No one else in the class seemed to have noticed it, which meant it must have been a messenger owl, and shielded from muggles. The message attached to its leg was not a scrap of old paper, like the notes Mum sent occasionally. It was a proper envelope, fancy looking, with an actual wax seal on the back. I was intrigued. Trying to attract as little attention as possible, I slid the window open and removed the letter. The owl flapped away without a glance backwards.

I turned the envelope over in my hands. On the front was a bunch of curly writing that took me a few seconds to decipher. In the end, I found that it read:

 _Mr J Overland_

 _Classroom E7_

 _Hamilton Primary School_

 _Burgess Hill_

 _West Sussex_

"Huh," I said under my breath. It _was_ meant for me.

I turned it over and began picking at the wax seal. As I did so, I realised there was a crest stamped into it, a crest that looked familiar…

With a rush of recognition, I realised what the message was. My Hogwarts acceptance letter.

I'd been expecting it for a while, but there was always the tiniest lingering doubt it would never show up. I'd heard stories of kids born into magical families that never got accepted into a wizarding school, and though I assumed it happened very occasionally, there was always the worry.

But, my place at Hogwarts was confirmed. And there was no reason to stick around in this muggle school for a second longer.

Without saying a word, I stood up and dumped everything that was still on my desk into my schoolbag. I pushed my chair in and walked towards the door.

"Mr Overland?"

I turned to face the teacher, who had stopped the lesson and was staring at me, shocked.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I smiled, not only at him but at my classmates gaping in astonishment.

"Going home!" I said gleefully. "And I don't plan on coming back any time soon!"

And with that, I slammed the door behind me.

I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and broke into a sprint. I hurried up the path, out the school gate, and into the street. I checked behind me several times, but it seemed nobody cared enough to follow me. Or perhaps I'd kept them away with a moment of accidentally-performed magic - an occurrence that was getting more frequent these days.

I hung around town for a while, poking around shops and parks. I went back to school at three o'clock to walk Emma home.

It was what we did every day. Walked home together, through the town. It wasn't particularly large, and the wizard population was even smaller. We all lived near each other, though some houses were much bigger than others. Ours was one of the smallest, the first floor of a converted townhouse. When we got home, we waited for Mum to get back around dinner time. I think it was bordering on illegal for us to be alone for so long, especially since Mum often worked hours overtime. But nothing ever went terribly wrong. And today, she arrived back early.

"I'm home!" Mum shut the door behind her. She untied the apron she was still wearing and hung it on the coat rack. She looked tired, but happy.

I jumped off the couch and ran to fetch my schoolbag. "Guess what I got today!"

Mum had already started getting things out for dinner. "Did you get your marks back for school?"

I paused, the letter already in my hand. "Oh… yeah."

"How did you do?" She smiled hopefully before seeing my expression. "Oh, Jack. That's alright, it's fine."

She didn't look disappointed, but I wasn't completely sure. She was good at hiding her feelings, especially if doing so would make me and Emma happy. I decided my other news would probably go down better.

"Anyway, I was going to show you _this_ ," I said, holding the letter out to her. She squinted at it for a second.

"That isn't…" She flipped it over, grinning as soon as she glimpsed the wax seal. "Your Hogwarts letter!"

Mum wrapped her arms around me. "Oh, you're going to love it, Jack! You'll make so many friends, you'll love the classes… I had _such_ a good time back in my school days!"

Emma was jumping up and down. "I wanna see! Get the letter out!"

I ripped the envelope open as the three of us sat back down on the couch. I smoothed the paper out over my lap. The writing on it was smaller and more joined-up than the words on the front, and soon enough the letters had turned backwards and muddled together, like they always did. I couldn't decipher a word of it.

"Can you read it out?" I asked Mum.

She took it from me and obliged. "Dear Mr Overland, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than the thirty-first of July. Yours sincerely, Angela Potts, Deputy Headmistress."

I let out a contented sigh as Mum proceeded to read out the list of equipment. My place at Hogwarts was secured, and I was going to make my family proud.

 **Elsa**

Things didn't feel right that night.

I was eight. My parents had tucked me into bed and said goodnight, then done the same for Anna in the next room. They went downstairs.

It was the same as every other night, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was different. I lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. I could hear my parents' voices from downstairs. My door was ajar, letting in a little light from the corridor.

I stretched out under the blankets. The clock on my bedside table eventually reached half past eight, then nine o'clock and I still couldn't sleep.

I was just drifting off when I heard a third voice coming from downstairs, which I didn't recognise. Although I was too far away to listen to the actual conversation, I could hear the stranger's voice getting harsher and louder.

The voices stopped. A moment of silence.

Then, from the stranger, a more controlled utterance. With a jolt, I recognised it as the type of voice one uses to cast a spell.

There was a piercing scream. _Mama._

A second spell came from the stranger, and the scream was cut off.

Then, only silence.

I didn't dare to move for several minutes, trying to process what I'd heard. I was also worried the stranger was still in our house, and he'd want to come after me next. But after hearing nothing, I decided to go downstairs and investigate.

I slid my bare feet onto the floor. The floorboards were smooth and cold, like ice. I swallowed, crept to the bedroom door and pushed it open.

"Mama? Papa?" My voice was barely a whisper, but it carried through the silent house.

I began walking down the stairs, every footfall making a thud on the wooden boards. The house was shrouded in shadow, and it was _freezing_. I wasn't affected by the cold, but that didn't mean I couldn't feel it. As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, it was obvious the house was far colder than it was supposed to be.

A dim, bluish light came from the front hall. I realised the front door must have been open, and decided to close it.

I never did.

Right in front of me, lying on the ground, was Papa.

He wasn't moving. His eyes were shut, but his mouth rested slightly open. The remnants of a terrified expression were on his face.

My mother lay next to him. Her arm was outstretched, a wand resting in her open fingertips. Her neck was at an odd angle, and her dark hair covered her face.

Their skin looked grey in the dim light.

I blocked out the horrible dread growing in my chest. They were just… sleeping. In the morning they would wake up, Papa would make breakfast, Mama would take us to school, and they would go to work, like they always did. Everything was going to be fine.

I curled up next to Papa. He was warm – and that meant he was alive, right? Forcing myself to believe he was okay, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

He was cold when I woke up.

. . .

My family had moved from Norway to England less than a year before my parents' death, and suddenly Anna and I were being uprooted again. We were moved to the other side of London to live with our aunt and uncle, Arianna and Frederic Corona. They had a daughter my age named Rapunzel and we both got along rather well.

I missed my parents more than anything, but the Coronas never failed to feel like family.

The true beginning of my story happened at midnight, though it couldn't have been less similar to the _other_ life-changing night in my life. This time it wasn't even slightly cold, in fact we'd left the windows open while we slept. It wasn't deathly quiet; I could hear crickets outside, a clock ticking, and light snoring coming from my sister's room.

I lay on my side in bed, woken up because the summer air was too warm to sleep in. I had always found hot weather hard to handle, possibly something to do with my ability to control ice and snow. What can I say? Magic always comes with a price.

As well as the heat, bright moonlight was streaming in through my window. I had left the curtains open earlier, and now I couldn't be bothered to get up and shut them.

I remained in bed for few minutes, too tired to do anything, but not tired enough to sleep. I was about to roll over onto my back when a shadow obscured part of the patch of moonlight on my floor. I sat up with a start, my heart racing and wide-awake. I slid out of bed and tiptoed to the window.

I peered out at the sky for a few seconds, the moon blinding as I looked for the source of the shadow. I let out a disappointed breath, and I turned to go back to bed. As I did, I noticed a small owl sitting calmly on the window ledge. In its beak was a white rectangle of paper.

I drew in a breath. Being part of the wizarding world, I was used to owls spontaneously showing up at my window, but still. A letter at this hour?

It only took me a few seconds to work out what it was. I was eleven, very obviously a witch, and it was the summer holidays… what else _could_ the letter be?

Now smiling, I unlocked the window and slid it upwards. The owl dropped the paper into my outstretched hand. It tilted its head, looking at me, and launched off into the night.

I ran my hand over the letter, shutting the window and walking to my bed as I fumbled with the wax seal. I sat down, then carefully drew the letter from the envelope.

I unfolded it. It read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Nicholas St. North

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Guardian of Wonder, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Ms. Arendelle,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September.

We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

 _Angela Potts_

Deputy Headmistress

I couldn't contain my excitement as I looked through the letter, finding the attached list with the equipment and admiring the detailed Hogwarts crest at the top of the letter. I hugged it to my chest. This was actually happening! I had known forever I was magical; both my parents were, and there was the whole ice thing. But to actually get the letter, to see Professor North's name at the top... I breathed in and out, trying to calm my racing heart. I couldn't tell anyone until morning, so I was going to have to do my best to go to sleep.

I lay down, pulling a sheet over my body and tucking the letter under my pillow. I shut my eyes, but inside my head there was a stream of thoughts chasing away any desire to sleep. What would my wand look like? What house would I be sorted into? Would I be able to make friends? Would I even be any good at the subjects?

But the thoughts disappeared after a while. There was no use getting worked up about it now, not when I had the whole summer ahead of me. I was sure everything would sort itself out in the end.

With a smile still on my face, I fell asleep.

 **Hiccup**

The waves were white today, and the rest of the water was more grey than blue. The sky was dark too, full of rain that wasn't quite ready to fall yet.

I got to my feet, folding my sketchbook up. I had been sitting on the jagged rocks on Berk's shore, watching the sea. I knew this side of the island faced Scotland. The other side, the cliff side, faced Norway. I often sat as near as I could to the ocean, probably since it was the closest I could get to land that wasn't a mass of wet rocks in the middle of the North Sea. I knew it was a stupid thing to do – it wasn't like I could see the coast that was hundreds of miles away – but it was comforting all the same. The thought that one day I might be able to see the world and leave Berk.

I stuffed my pencil into my pocket as I made my way back into the centre of the village. I had been meaning to draw something, but my mind was blank. One of the houses, maybe? The buildings on Berk were interesting, since they kept the old Viking style I was told had died out everywhere else in the world.

It made sense. Berk wasn't the type of place that changed its ways easily. Building houses the same way we did a thousand years ago was the least of our problems. The island was completely devoid of muggles, making it impossible for me to learn anything about them. Sure, magic was great, but muggles were coming up with new inventions right and left. And while they couldn't top magic, they were coming close. I wanted to see these muggle devices, figure out how they worked!

Even more than that, I wanted to explore. I had seen every inch of Berk before, but outside there was completely new territory, environments I couldn't even picture. Hundreds of miles of sand in deserts, cities made from metal and glass, rainforests full of snakes and tigers, millions upon millions of people!

Nobody else on Berk seemed to share this desire to find more. No one knew or cared what was happening outside our island. They told me I was just being selfish, or that I'd grow out of it. Some even put it down to my not having a mother, which was completely stupid.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

I jerked my head up. I was on the docks. Astrid, a girl my age, was standing in front of me with an armful of axes.

"Whoa! What are you doing with those?"

"Taking them to the forge; they need sharpening," she said, stepping around me. "Which you'll remember is _your_ job, running errands for Gobber."

"Oh. Yeah." I fiddled with my pencil. "I can take them, if you want."

Astrid sighed and looked back at me. "It's too late now. Besides, you'll probably drop them or something."

"Okay. Sorry." I watched as she walked away, her blonde braid flicking over her shoulder.

I sighed. I desperately wanted to be friends with Astrid. I mean, I would have settled for being friends with _anyone_ , though Astrid was by far the most preferable. The other kids were… interesting to say the least.

There they were now, on the upper side of the village, wandering downhill in a group. At the front was Snotlout, who had greasy black hair and a thick skull. He was technically my cousin, though I'd never acknowledged it, and had been horrible as long as I'd been alive. He wasn't at all smart – I wasn't even sure he knew how to read – but he made up for it with brute force. You didn't want to get in his way.

There was Fishlegs, blonde and pudgy. He was okay, I guess. We had almost been friends at one point, since we both shared a love of knowledge. But then Fishlegs joined Snotlout's gang and it was all over. It wasn't like him to be cruel, but he was too weak to stand up for himself. He did whatever people told him.

Bringing up the rear of the little procession were Berk's infamous pair of twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. They were pranksters at heart, and did whatever they wished (to the exasperation of everyone else on the island). At the moment, one of them had the other in a headlock, which sums up their relationship well. From this distance, I couldn't tell who was who. Honestly, I didn't care.

And then there was Astrid, in the opposite direction to the others, opening the door of the forge and delivering the axes. She didn't drop a single one, that took skill. I mean, Astrid _was_ skilled. At everything. She was smart. And strong. She didn't listen to Snotlout; she could easily beat him in a fight. She could beat _anyone_ in a fight.

"Hiccup."

I nearly dropped my book. "Dad! Hi!"

My father, Stoick, was the chief of our village. He'd been given the title 'Stoick the Vast', which pretty much summed him up. Vast. Tall and strong, with powerful magic. I still wasn't entirely sure I was actually related to him.

"Where have you _been_ all morning?"

"On the shore, over there." I pointed.

Dad narrowed his eyes. "Really? Why can't you just… stay in the forge, and do your drawings in there?"

I scowled. "Why do you want to keep me inside? I was _sitting_. I already know this island inside out, and you still don't want me out on it? I want to explore even further!"

"Well, you don't exactly have the greatest track record for that type of thing, do you?" Dad said. Apparently _that_ conversation was over. "Anyway, I've found you now - when did you leave the house this morning?"

I squinted, remembering. "Before sunrise?"

"Ah." Dad dug around in his pocket. "You must have just missed it."

"Missed what?"

He pulled out a piece of paper. "This. Arrived by owl, I expect. It was already on the table when I got up."

By owl? It wasn't often someone on Berk got mail, especially not me. I took the envelope from him.

 _Mr H Haddock_

 _The Upstairs Bedroom_

 _The Largest House_

 _Isle of Berk_

 _North Sea_

I flipped it over. Sealing it closed was deep red wax, stamped with some kind of crest.

"You know what it is?" Dad asked. I looked up at him. He had a smile in his eyes.

I ran a finger over the seal. Four animals – a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle – were intertwined in the insignia. "That's not…"

"Hogwarts. I mean, it's your Hogwarts letter."

"Whoa." I had known it was coming, of course. Everyone on Berk did their seven years at Hogwarts, unless they were incredibly untalented at magic. But it had seemed so far away, I had almost forgotten about it. And now it was here in my hands, with no warning whatsoever. It didn't feel real.

"Has anyone else gotten theirs?" I asked. I hadn't overheard anyone boasting about theirs yet. I must not have been paying attention.

"No, nobody," Dad said, smiling. "You're the first."

Really? I'd gotten mine even before _Astrid_? Awesome.

"Speaking of Hogwarts, there's something I want to give you." He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a wand. "My father gave this to me when I received my acceptance letter. His father gave it to him. Traditional, you know."

I took the wand. It felt odd in my hand, cold and lifeless. Nothing like the warm buzz of the magic _I'd_ experienced. But I didn't say anything. Dad was in an unusually good mood, there was no point ruining it.

"What do the animals on the crest mean?" I asked, looking at the red wax again.

Dad peered closer. "Oh, yes. The four houses. Each of them values a different virtue; you'll be sorted into one when you arrive. I was a Gryffindor, naturally. Bravery above all."

"Bravery?" I was a lot of things, but I was pretty sure brave wasn't one of them. I laughed. "I'll probably be in some other house."

Dad's face grew serious. "I certainly hope not. You're a Haddock, aren't you?"

I swallowed. "I- yeah. Of course, Dad."

The smile returned to his face, but it was strained. He coughed. "Right. Good talk. Er… go ahead and read the letter, I suppose. We'll visit Diagon Alley for your supplies in a few weeks."

I nodded. As soon as his back was turned, I grinned. It wouldn't be long before I'd be leaving Berk.

 **Rapunzel**

"Anna, pass!"

"No, no, she can't now, not if she's dropped it. Give me the ball back, we'll start again."

Elsa groaned. "This isn't working."

My cousins and I were out on the street in front of our house. We were with three other kids who lived across the road. Nani, her sister Lilo, and their friend David, had moved to London from Hawaiʻi a while ago. They were teaching us how to play Quodpot, a popular wizarding sport in America.

We were using the street as a pitch and a couple of banged-up cauldrons full of water as the pots. The game also required an exploding ball, and a broom for every player. We had substituted this for a regular ball and no brooms at all. Since using a non-exploding ball defeated the entire purpose of the game, we weren't having fun.

After a few more minutes of pointless throwing and catching, Lilo had had enough.

"That's it," she said, flinging the ball away. "I'm bored."

David nodded. "Changing it was a dumb idea. It's not the same without explosions."

I sat down on the curb. "I did want to play, too. All we have in England is quidditch."

"Ooh, I've seen a few quidditch matches," said Nani, joining me. "It looks good. They play it at Hogwarts, so maybe I'll join the team."

Elsa gasped. "You're going to Hogwarts?"

"Yes!" Nani grinned. "I got my letter a week ago."

"I got mine last night!"

Elsa hadn't been able to contain her excitement when she'd come down to breakfast that morning. I was a little jealous, but at least I knew mine might come at any moment. I couldn't wait.

There a was little more conversation about school sports, and then I heard our front door unlatch. My mum poked her head out.

"It's dinner time, girls! Come inside!"

"Okay Mum," I called back, then turned back to Nani and David. "Well, see you later."

"Bye." Nani stood up. "We should probably go too."

Elsa and I crossed the street, Anna racing ahead of us. I was about to comment on the sunset when I heard a sudden _thwack_ of flesh hitting pavement.

"Ow!"

Anna had tripped on part of the path buckled by tree roots. Spitting out hair, she sat up. The end of her skirt lifted and revealed her knee, scraped raw and bleeding.

"How many times do we have to tell you to slow down?" scolded Elsa. She looked annoyed, but rushed to her sister's side.

"How much does it hurt?" I asked.

Anna sniffed. "A lot."

"Oh, no it doesn't," Elsa said. She looked pointedly at me. "It's a skinned knee."

I had already begun to unplait my hair. "I _specialise_ in skinned knees."

This must all sound very odd, but it was all for a reason. I was going to heal her knee with my magical hair that glowed when I sang.

Perhaps I should explain.

Some time ago, back when my parents hadn't been married for long, they decided there was nothing they wanted more than a child of their own. However, this was a task more easily said than done. It took seven years before my mother became pregnant, and even then my parents' troubles weren't over. A few months into the pregnancy, my mum got ill. At first it seemed like nothing more than a common cold, but over the next weeks it didn't go away, instead getting worse and worse. Eventually, Mum was so sick she couldn't walk. She couldn't get out of bed. She could barely speak.

My dad was despairing. The sickness my mum had caught must have had an element of dark magic to it, because all the usual healing spells and potions were having no effect on her. Besides, it was always advised not to use magic on or near unborn babies – there was the worry that it might affect their growth.

But my parents were desperate. Something had to be done, otherwise both mum and the baby would die. As my mother was entering the final stages of pregnancy, Dad found something that just might save her.

He had been searching far and wide for a cure for this unknown, magical illness, and he had stumbled across a little-known potion called _Florado Crisantemo_. It was glowing gold in colour, and was activated by the recitation of a song. It was difficult to brew, which made it near impossible to find. Somehow, my father managed to locate a potioneer on the other side of the world who claimed to be able to produce the _Florado Crisantemo_. Although it must have cost an extraordinary amount of money, Dad sent away for a bottle of it. It arrived in the nick of time. Hoping no harm would come to the baby, Mum drank the potion, and my father sang the incantation.

It worked! Days after she had consumed the potion, my mother gave birth to healthy baby girl. Me! They were told the potion hadn't harmed me, either, which must have been a relief.

However, I had been affected. When I was born, my parents had noted I already had quite a bit of hair. That on its own was not too unusual - plenty of babies are the same. But this was different. Both of my parents had dark hair. I was blonde.

Mum and Dad guessed immediately what it meant. The healing powers from the _Florado Crisantemo_ had been transferred to me.

I still wasn't sure of the extent of my power, having never tried it on anything more serious than a broken arm. The potion had brought my mother back from the brink of death, so there was no telling what my hair might be capable of.

And now, standing in the late afternoon light, I wrapped my hair around the graze on Anna's knee and prepared to sing the incantation. I'd memorised it over the years, despite not knowing what language it was in, or what it meant.

 _"Fulge, flos, et arde_

 _Niteat potestas_

 _Tempus retexe_

 _Redde mihi spes meas_

 _Sana vulnera_

 _Mutetur aetas_

 _Serva perdita_

 _Redde mihi spes meas_

 _Mihi spes meas..."_

I unwound my hair, revealing perfectly smooth skin on the leg underneath. Anna, despite having seen me do this several times already, had her mouth open in awe.

"What do you say?" Elsa said, prodding her sister.

Anna grinned at me. "Thank you."

I stood up, then hauled Anna to her feet as well. "You're welcome. Now let's have dinner."

Soon we were inside, and the food was on the table. There wasn't much to talk about as we ate, so dinner passed in silence for the most part.

I was the first to finish my food. I took my plate to the kitchen to wash it up, scrubbing at the stubborn streaks until my hands were submerged in bubbles. As I held up the plate to let the water drip off, there was a thump from the window in front of me. A large dark shape, too fast for me to see, flew inside and hit the opposite wall.

I dropped the plate into the tub. Heart racing from the shock, and now covered in water and soap, I whipped around to see what sort of creature had burst into our house.

It was an owl. An average-sized, greyish-brown owl, the kind they use in the Postal service.

"Ugh," I muttered, wiping my wet hands on my even wetter skirt. "What do you think you're doing, scaring me half to death?"

The owl blinked, hopping towards me. It had an envelope tied to its leg. So it _was_ a post owl. But at _this_ time of day?

Then it all came together in my head, and I only had to glance at the paper to make sure-

 _Ms R Corona_

 _13 Clements Road_

 _Hounslow_

 _London_

YES!

"DAD, MUM! MY LETTER! IT'S HERE!"

* * *

 **AN:** Latin " _Healing Incantation_ " lyrics courtesy of YouTube channel _O1ivette_.


	2. Look at this trove, treasures untold

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 1, Chapter 2**

 **Elsa**

"Diagon Alley!"

I stepped forward into the emerald flames and let the Floo Network whisk me into blackness. After a second or so submerged in the dark, I landed with a soft thump amidst the soot of a large stone fireplace. I had arrived inside Magical Menagerie, the wizarding pet shop on the north side of Diagon Alley.

I stepped out of the fireplace and onto the scuffed wooden floor. As I waited for Rapunzel and Uncle Frederic to arrive, I brushed the ash from my clothes. The shop was huge, and covered from floor to ceiling with a variety of animals. It seemed like all of them were letting out a noise of some kind. The screeching, howling, and croaking from every corner of the room was making my ears ring.

I caught sight of a shopkeeper, trying to wrestle a Kneazle into a wire cage. It was making a tremendous racket. I decided to keep my distance.

There was another flash of green fire from behind me, and Rapunzel appeared in the fireplace. She had only just stepped out and begun dusting off the soot when her father arrived behind her.

"Alright, girls," he said. "Ready to go?"

Rapunzel had somehow gotten to the other side of the shop, and was on tiptoes staring into a cage.

"Papa, look at the Puffskeins!" she exclaimed, not taking her eyes off them. "Can I have one?!"

I raised an eyebrow. Rapunzel was fond of animals, and animals were fond of her. It was something I could never understand.

Uncle Frederic shook his head, smiling. "We'll have to see about that. Our main aim at the moment is to get the things you actually _need_."

Rapunzel folded her arms. "Fine. What do we have to get?"

I pulled the crumpled list from my pocket. "Robes for the uniform first."

Uncle Frederic nodded. "Robes it is."

I swung the door open and we all stepped out into the cobblestoned street. A cold wind blew rain into my face, and I clamped my arms down on my skirt to keep it from flying up. The street was crowded with witches and wizards, scarcely any space to move between the hundreds of students and their parents attempting to balance textbooks, cauldrons, and pets in cages. Some of them were also carrying school uniforms, the house colours standing out brightly in the grey weather. I straightened my shoulders out proudly as I walked; I was going to be one of them, soon. I would be walking around at Hogwarts castle, carrying potions homework and sporting my house colours.

We weaved our way through the streets, walking towards Madam Malkin's, the robe shop. I groaned as we approached it. It seemed as if every student in first year had decided to purchase their robes today. We joined the end of the painfully long queue.

We stood in silence as we waited for the line to move on, though we'd barely taken a full step forward in over two minutes. The rain had grown heavier. I could feel it trickling down my neck.

I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder. I turned in surprise to see a girl about my age standing behind us. She was about average height, certainly shorter than me, but looked formidable due to her huge, curly mass of bright red hair. However, she smiled politely, and revealed a Scottish accent when she spoke aloud.

"Are you a first year, too?"

At the sound of her voice, Rapunzel turned around as well.

"Yes, we both are," I replied.

She gave a grin. "You know each other?"

"We're cousins," said Rapunzel.

The girl nodded, then offered her hand to me. "I'm Merida. Nice to meet you."

She shook hands with each of us in turn, and we introduced ourselves, too.

"I'm Elsa."

"I'm Rapunzel. It's good to meet you too."

I glanced around behind Merida. "So, who are you here with? Is your mother or father taking you around?"

"Oh, no," she said. "They're what you folk'd call muggles. I was only told I was magic a few days ago. I'm here with Professor Cogsworth from Hogwarts. He came to tell me about it when I got the letter."

"Professor Cogsworth?" asked Uncle Frederic, laughing. "So he's still teaching, is he? He started teaching potions when I was in fifth year, and he'd only just become a qualified professor. We drove him nuts, and every year he'd tell us he was going to resign. He never did, though, and I suppose he still hasn't."

"Is he nice?" asked Rapunzel.

Merida shrugged. "Nice enough, I suppose. A bit strict, though."

We waited in the queue for a while longer, Uncle Frederic occasionally pointing out some professor or other and telling us all the most interesting facts about them. For example, the muggle studies professor, Professor Sanderson, had been made mute after an encounter with the same type of wizards who'd killed my parents. He hadn't quit his job, though, and instead communicated through a series of images over his head.

Someone else my uncle spotted was the Charms teacher, Professor Toothiana. He told us that she and Professor Bunnymund, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, had been in a relationship when they were students at Hogwarts. There were rumours going around the Ministry of Magic, Uncle Frederic's workplace, that the two had started seeing each other again. Rapunzel giggled, Merida wrinkled her nose, but frankly I couldn't care less what the teachers did in their private lives.

Eventually, we made it into the store and purchased all the required items of clothing. Merida seemed to be having trouble with the money system, and had brought in far too much for school supplies. After she had dropped half her coins all over the floor, I decided to assist her in counting them out and even tried to teach her how wizard money worked. She seemed less than interested.

When everyone had finished paying, we all huddled under the eaves of the building to stay out of the rain. Uncle Frederic pulled out the supply list as we moved further down the street to get away from the crowd.

"Robes are out of the way now. Next up, we've got... textbooks."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that next," Merida said. "That's why Cogsworth and I separated; he said he'd line up for the books while I lined up for the robes. Makes the wait shorter, you know."

Uncle Frederic nodded. As we continued down the street, I could see Merida was telling the truth. Flourish and Blotts was even more crowded than Madam Malkin's had been.

Rapunzel groaned. "Well, that looks fun."

Her father laughed sympathetically. "Well, why don't we do what Cogsworth is doing and split up? I'll wait here, and you girls can go off by yourselves and get some of the more exciting things."

"Oh," I sighed. "I kind of wanted to visit Flourish and Blotts again."

Merida squinted at me suspiciously. "Don't tell me you're a bookworm."

I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes, but overall didn't seem too put off.

"You can go later, if there's time," Uncle Frederic compromised. "For now..."

He took out his wand, pointed it at the supply sheet and spoke sharply. "Geminio!"

A second copy of the paper appeared above the original.

Merida gave a yelp and jumped back in surprise. Uncle Frederic apologised quickly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear! I forgot you weren't used to magic!"

"No, no, that's fine!"

"Well, anyhow, you girls can take this copy and buy some of the other things. I'll meet you at Florean Fortescue's."

"At where now?" asked Merida, confused.

"It's an ice cream parlour," said Rapunzel as we walked away. "So... first on the list we've got wands. Ooh, this should be fun!"

"We get wands?" asked Merida. "That's awesome! Where do we go?"

"Ollivanders," I said excitedly.

We arrived at Ollivanders quickly, and were pleased to see there was only one other family in the shop. A tall woman with brown hair, a girl about Anna's age, and a first year boy with pale blond – no, _white_ – hair. He was holding a wand and the box it came in, looking proud of himself. His mother was paying for it at the counter.

"That will be seven galleons, madam," said the shopkeeper, an old man with wispy grey hair and a kind face. This, I realised, was Ollivander himself.

While the woman rummaged around her bag for the coins, her son wandered over to talk to us.

"Hello," he said, grinning. "Are you first years, too?"

"Yes," said Rapunzel. She introduced the three of us.

"I'm Jack," said the boy. "That," he pointed at the little girl, "is my sister, Emma. She's a bit of a pest, but we brought her along to shut her up."

"Hey!" Emma protested.

I frowned. Jack was showing off in that way boys do, pretending he didn't like his sister and making it look like he didn't care about anything.

I glanced at the other two to see what they thought of him. Rapunzel wasn't looking at me, but she was still smiling. It was typical Rapunzel behaviour: assume everyone is an angel until you've literally seen them murder someone. Merida, on the other hand, had made unimpressed eye contact with me. She didn't like him either.

Before the conversation could progress any further, Jack's mother finished paying and beckoned for Jack and Emma to follow her out of the shop. The heavy door fell shut behind them.

Ollivander could now give us his full attention. He walked around to us from behind the counter.

"Hello there, young ladies. I assume you're after a wand each?"

"Yes, thank you," Rapunzel replied.

"Very good. Let's start with you, shall we?" Ollivander clasped his hands together, studying her face. He closed his eyes for a second. "Ah, yes, I know of a wand that would suit you!"

He strode over to one of many stacks of wand boxes. He ran his finger over some of them, giving a satisfied 'hmm' as he found what he was looking for. He drew the box out slowly, and walked back over to us. He opened the box carefully and presented the wand to Rapunzel.

"Here you go. Alder with unicorn hair, twelve inches long and quite whippy."

Rapunzel took it in her hand, and gave it a small wave. As she did so, the air around her seemed to ripple with warm energy, and Rapunzel magical hair gave a faint glow.

Rapunzel looked stunned. "Oh my!" she said. "Yes, this is the right one, definitely."

Ollivander smiled. "Excellent match. Now…" he turned to Merida. "A wand for you."

His eyebrows wrinkled in deep thought, and walked to the stack of wand boxes next to the door. He stretched right to the top of the pile and snatched up the highest one there.

"Try this one," he said. "Thirteen-inch blackthorn with dragon heartstring, springy." Disconcerted, Merida took the wand from him, and held it in one hand.

"Are you a muggleborn, my dear? Not to worry, just give it a small flick. The wand chooses the witch, after all."

Merida obliged, and waved the wand cautiously. Instantly, a breeze that smelled faintly of the forest sprung up around her.

"Is it supposed to do that?" she asked. "It felt nice, actually."

"Yes, that's the one for you," Ollivander said, pleased. "Now, only one more to go."

He glanced at for only a second before scurrying off to grab one of the boxes. He returned quickly and took the wand out. "Have a go."

I took the wand up in my left hand, and gave it a wave. It grew warm, which is what I supposed Rapunzel's did, but instead of cooling down it kept getting hotter. I had to drop it before I got burnt.

"I think it rejected me," I observed. Ollivander picked it up thoughtfully.

"Low tolerance for heat, eh?" he asked. It didn't seem as if he wanted a response, but he was right anyway.

"Hmm." He put the wand back in its box and walked to the back of the shop.

"What about this one?" he said when he returned, another long box in hand. I took the dark brown wand out of the box and gave it a wave, like as I had the first. I'd tried using a wand before, attempting to practice simple spells with either my uncle's or aunt's, but this - _this_ was a completely different feeling. I felt little patterns of ice fill in the texture of the wand, leaving white swirls across it. It grew extremely cold, cold to the point where most people would have dropped it, and the air surrounding me seemed to freeze. After a couple of seconds, the sensation faded. I blinked.

"Did that feel right?" asked Ollivander.

"Yes," I said, still breathless. "This is the one."

"Brilliant," he smiled. "It's fir with unicorn hair, thirteen inches, and rather sturdy. Is that all for today, girls?"

I nodded, and we went over to the counter to pay.

"That will be seven galleons for each wand," said Ollivander. "They are durable things, wands, but make sure you keep them safe. Good luck starting school in September!"

"Thank you!" I gave him a small wave, and we were out the door, all carrying a wand box each.

We split up to buy the remaining items on the list. Rapunzel went off on her own to purchase the crystal phials and telescopes and scales, while Merida and I worked together to get the heavy cauldrons.

We soon met up back at Florean Fortescue's, where Uncle Frederic was also waiting. He looked up from a copy of The Daily Prophet as we approached.

"Good job, girls," he said, as we dumped our haul next to the table. "Now, I know it's raining and all, but it _is_ technically summer… so how does an ice cream sound?"

"Ooh, yes please!" exclaimed Rapunzel.

I opened my mouth, ready to agree, but remembered I still hadn't been to Flourish and Blotts. I loved the bookshop; it was dark and quiet and smelled like paper.

"How crowded was Flourish and Blotts when you left?" I asked.

"Oh, it's practically empty now," replied Rapunzel's dad. "There was one group of kids - all friends or family or something, I assume - left inside it. Even they might be gone by now."

"Can I go?" I asked eagerly. "I'll only be five minutes, I swear!"

Uncle Frederic gave a fake roll of his eyes. "If you must."

"Thank you!" I flashed him a smile and took off towards the bookstore.

I entered the shop as the group Uncle Frederic had mentioned were leaving it. They were about my age, a mix of boys and girls, all of them tall and tough-looking. I kept my head down. I didn't want any trouble.

The door closed behind me, the bell tinkling lightly. I stood on the doormat, breathing in the musty book smell. Rows of shelves stretched out in front of me, packed full of leather-bound books of deep emerald, black, crimson, and indigo, as well as countless other colours. The metallic lettering on the spines of the books glinted in the dimness of the room, the only light coming from a few dusty lanterns hanging from the high ceiling. A grandfather clock was ticking in the corner. Footsteps creaked on the floorboards somewhere up the back of the shop. Apart from that, it was silent.

"Can I help you?"

Despite being soft, the voice made me jump. The shopkeeper, a youngish witch with very curly hair, smiled at me from across a cluttered counter.

I shook my head. "No thanks, I'm just looking."

She nodded, and went back to her book.

I moved softly, trying not to make any noise. I got to the children's fiction section, and was surprised to find a boy there, sitting on the floor. He was rather scrawny, and had brown hair and pale skin covered in freckles. He looked up at me, smiling.

"Isn't this place amazing?" he asked.

"Diagon Alley?"

"Well, yeah, that too, but I meant the store." He looked up at the shelves above us. "I've never seen anything like this in my whole life."

I raised my eyebrows. Flourish and Blotts was lovely, of course, but it wasn't particularly outstanding in any way. I had seen plenty of book shops just like it. Anyone who had been in a library before wouldn't be half so amazed.

"You've never been in a book shop?" I asked.

"No, never." He didn't elaborate. I decided not to pry.

"Er… I've heard there's a library at Hogwarts," I said. "A big one."

The boy smiled. "Yeah, I heard that too. That's what I'm looking forward to most, honestly."

So he was a Hogwarts student, then. At first I thought he sounded American, but I must have been wrong, otherwise he would've been going to Ilvermorny.

"You're a first year too?" I asked. He nodded, still staring at the books. I decided I liked him.

"Do you know what the time is?" he said suddenly.

I looked at my watch. "Nearly three."

"Oh, shoot." He stood up. "I have to go. My dad'll kill me."

"Oh. Well, it was nice to meet you."

"Yes! See you at Hogwarts!" He looked back at me for a second, then raced out the door.

I took a last look around the shelves, then left Flourish and Blotts as well. I pushed my way through the streets until I made it back to the ice cream shop. I was a little damp, but the rain was subsiding now.

"Elsa's here!" cried Rapunzel. "Can we go home?"

I looked around. Had Merida left?

"Cogsworth picked Merida up," said Uncle Frederic, reading my expression. "And please wait for Elsa, Rapunzel. She hasn't had her ice cream yet."

"I don't want one," I said. That was true; I didn't particularly like ice cream.

Uncle Frederic stood up. "If you're sure!"

We trudged back up the street, past the black turnoff to the infamous Knockturn alley, past Ollivander's, and back to Magical Menagerie. The shop was practically empty, except for the witch behind the counter. We each took a pinch of Flu Powder from Uncle Frederic's pouch. Rapunzel and her father stepped into the fireplace and were whisked home, but I lingered. Sometimes I was overcome with how amazing the world I lived in was, full of vibrant magic and fantastic creatures. I was so lucky to have been born a witch.

I stepped into the fireplace and as the emerald flames engulfed me, I thought, "there's no place like home".

As soon as I arrived home, my sister, Anna, immediately bombarded me with questions about our trip.

"Which shops did you go to?"

"Who did you meet?"

"Did you make any friends?"

"What did you buy?"

"Did you get _me_ anything?"

"Don't tell me you-"

"Anna!" Aunt Arianna yelled over the top of Anna's babbling, cutting off her next question. "Please leave your sister alone, it's been a long day. And she needs to put her things in her room before she can answer your questions. While she's doing that, you can help me peel potatoes."

Anna groaned and stomped off to the kitchen. When she was inside, she poked her head around the doorframe and scowled. I smiled at her, then went upstairs to put away my stuff.

Dinner and the rest of the night was a blur, the only thing that made an impression was that Rapunzel and Anna were discussing Hogwarts so excitedly they managed to knock over a dish of peas. Aunt Arianna cleaned it up with a wave of her wand.

As I drifted off to sleep a few hours later, I kept glancing over at the pile of school equipment sitting on my chair. Every time I did so, another rush of excitement ran through my body.

Two more weeks, and then I'd be going to Hogwarts.


	3. Now I'm here, suddenly I see

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 1, Chapter 3**

 **Rapunzel**

It was the morning of September the first. I had woken early, probably from nerves or excitement, and lay on my back staring up at the ceiling.

"Today's the day," I murmured to myself. "You're actually doing this. You're actually starting at Hogwarts!"

I climbed to the end of my bed and reached to open my trunk to get a book to read. After rummaging through several large muggle adventure stories that Elsa had insisted I read, I pulled out a battered old copy of _Hogwarts: A History_. It had probably belonged to my dad, since Mum had gone to Durmstrang when she was my age. I had flipped through it before, but the vast number of chapters and the old-fashioned language had kind of put me off. However, this was my last chance to read the book before seeing Hogwarts in real life. After all, I would basically be living there for the next seven years.

When my mother came in to wake me two hours later, she found me already up and going. I had read a few of the more interesting bits in the book, but ultimately decided I could figure out the rest when I got there. I put my uniform on, twirling in front of the mirror to admire the long black robes. After that, I began the mammoth task of brushing my hair. I usually only brushed the top bit and tied the rest back, but today I wanted to look my best.

Mum had knocked softly, and pushed the door open.

"Good morning, Rapunzel," she said. "Would you like some help with that?"

"I'm nearly done," I said, grunting as I yanked the brush through the end of my hair.

"All right then." She smiled. "Make sure you come down for breakfast soon. You've got a long day ahead of you."

She closed the door.

I finished putting my hair into a long plait that grazed the ground, and ran down the stairs to the dining room. I found Mum, Dad, and Anna already sitting and eating breakfast.

"Where's Elsa?" I asked.

"I think she's a bit nervous," said Dad. "She'll be down in a minute."

I sat in my usual chair and pulled my bowl towards me.

As I ate my breakfast, Anna struck up a conversation with my mother, one I assumed was a continuation of an earlier argument. "Can we at least _pretend_ that I'm eleven so I can go with Elsa and Rapunzel?"

" _No_ , Anna! You cannot go to Hogwarts, not for another three years!"

Anna folded her arms crossly. Her unbrushed ginger hair stuck out at odd angles, making her look like a scarecrow. I tried to stifle a giggle. Anna glared at me.

I normally would have tried to comfort her, or tell her three years wasn't _that_ long a time. But right now, my stomach was in jitters and I couldn't stop an excited grin from spreading across my face.

A thud came from the staircase, and I raised my head to see Elsa, hair neatly braided and proudly wearing her robes, walking to the breakfast table. She began to eat her own food, though I noticed she didn't seem hungry. My father seemed to see it too, and started up a conversation immediately.

"So, do either of you have any questions about this year?" He smiled around at both of us.

"I do." Anna broke in. "How do the houses work? I've heard people talking about them- what do they mean?"

"Well," Dad a bite of toast, "There are four houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin – each of which values a different thing – bravery, kindness, wisdom, and ambition. On your first night, they sort you into the one that suits you best. It's nothing to worry about, and the whole sorting barely takes any time at all in the grand scheme of things."

"What house would I be in?" Anna asked.

"It's hard to say," replied my father. "People often end up in the house their parents were in. Although you and Elsa have nothing to go on there, since your parents went to Durmstrang."

"What about me?" I asked. "I know Mum didn't go to Hogwarts, but you did, right?"

Dad smiled. "Yes, I was in Hufflepuff. I'm sure you three will end up there too; you're all nice."

"I hope so," I said. "No one there ever turns out nasty."

There was a moment of silence as we kept eating. Elsa set down her spoon and pushed her bowl away.

"Uncle Frederic, what would happen if I'm not sorted into Hufflepuff?" she asked.

"It wouldn't matter to us at all, sweetheart. Don't worry about it. The house you get is the house you get, and we'll accept that. Well, unless..." My dad trailed off. He cleared his throat and looked back down at his newspaper.

"Unless what?" Elsa's face was marked with concern.

Uncle Frederic shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Forget I said that."

"But what _were_ you going to say? Was it something about Slytherin? Isn't that the house everyone says is evil? Didn't you say that not all Slytherins are bad? Did you mean it? _Are_ all Slytherins bad? What if I get-"

"Elsa." Mum cut her off. "It truly doesn't matter. A nice girl like you won't get sorted into Slytherin, anyway."

Elsa nodded, though she still didn't seem convinced. There was no time to worry, however, as Mum began to organise everything as soon as we'd finished eating.

"Now, you two need to get your trunks downstairs. I expect they are completely ready to go, as they'll need to be if you are indeed planning to get to Hogwarts this year."

With a scrape, Elsa pushed back her chair. She started to collect up everyone's empty dishes, but my dad put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I'll do that later."

Elsa shrugged, and turned to Mum. "How are we getting to the station, Aunt Arianna? Does the Floo Network have an exit there?"

"I can't remember," answered Mum. "But we're not using Floo powder, anyway. We'll apparate straight there."

This was surprising news, and a glance at Elsa told me she thought the same. I'd never apparated before, since you had to be seventeen to do it yourself, and side-along apparition was usually used in emergencies.

We raced upstairs to grab our suitcases, then made our way down the stairs together. Mum was waiting for us, a proud smile on her face.

"Alright, you two Hogwarts girls. We're going to apparate right onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, so hold on tight to me and your trunks. Elsa, take my left hand, and Rapunzel, take my right. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" I said excitedly, though all Elsa could manage was a small gulp and nod.

"Don't forget to send us an owl every week!" called Dad. "And try your best in all your classes!"

"Don't have _too_ much fun without me!"

I flashed a brief smile at Anna, glanced across at Elsa, and took a big, deep breath. I tightened my hand on the handle of my trunk and shut my eyes. I felt a tugging in the pit of my stomach and a weightless feeling overtook me. When I felt my feet slam into something solid, I opened my eyes.

Looking around, I gasped. All around us were Hogwarts students and their families, some in uniform, some with pets, and all with gigantic suitcases. Friendly chatter rose up from the crowds, bringing a smile to my face.

I looked upwards. The morning sun shone out from a cloudless pale blue sky. Its light reflected off of a huge steam engine, old but in perfect condition. It was a beautiful rich scarlet colour, with shiny brass fittings. The words 'Hogwarts Express' were painted onto a sign on the front of the train.

A burst of excitement ran through my body. I was actually here. This was actually happening. I barely suppressed a squeal.

"Well, you're here now, girls," said Mum. "I'll let you wander until the train leaves. I have to find Mrs Rose… she promised me a potion recipe."

"Okay, make sure you wave to us when the train leaves," I said.

Mum nodded, then hurried off into the crowd.

Elsa nudged me, pointing to the Hogwarts Express. She raised her voice. "It might be a good idea to get seats quickly if we want a compartment to ourselves."

"Should we try to find Merida first?" I replied, remembering our friend from Diagon Alley.

Elsa nodded, and began looking around the platform. I did the same, scanning the crowds for Merida's bright, curly hair. It seemed like an impossible task, I thought, looking at all the students.

Suddenly, I spotted her. She was facing away from us, talking to someone.

"Merida!" I shouted. She turned quickly, eyes widening when she saw us standing there.

Elsa looked up too, and we pushed our way through the crowd to get to her.

"There you are!" Merida smiled broadly. "I was worried I wouldn't find you. This is Astrid, by the way. We just met."

She gestured towards the person she'd been talking to, a tall girl with blonde hair. Astrid smiled at us, and I introduced myself and Elsa to her.

"So, where are you from?" I asked Astrid, putting down my heavy suitcase with a thud. Elsa did the same.

"Berk, island in the North Sea," she said. "There are five- sorry, no, _six_ of us starting at Hogwarts this year. That's the rest of them over there."

She waved her hand toward a group of five kids; a large blonde boy, a pair of twins, a boy with black hair, and a boy with brown hair.

"I've met your friend," Elsa said. "In Flourish and Blotts. We talked."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"Him." Elsa replied. She pointed to the brown-haired boy.

"Oh, Hiccup?" Astrid laughed. "I wouldn't say we're _friends_ exactly. He's kind of weird. But we're not all like him, don't worry."

Merida and I laughed, but Elsa looked at her feet. I had a feeling she'd rather liked him.

"Okay, so that's one of you," I said. "What are everyone else's names?"

"He's Snotlout," Astrid replied, pointing. "The twins there are Ruffnut and Tuffnut, it doesn't matter which name you call them because they both answer to either. Uh, the chubby one's Fishlegs and the one off to the side is Hiccup."

I nodded politely, wondering about the strange names. Merida wasn't as tactful.

"Why're you all named such weird things?" she asked bluntly. "Hiccup… Fishlegs… Snotlout? Who calls their child that?"

"Yeah," said Astrid, unoffended. "We've found out that Berkian names aren't quite normal over here. I think it's a tradition, I don't know."

"Right." Merida wrinkled her nose. "Well, we may as well get on the train now. Get settled down and all."

"Yeah." I picked up my suitcase and looked toward Astrid. "Would you like to sit in our compartment, or...?"

"No thanks," said Astrid. "I'll sit with the others, though honestly I'd rather _not_ sit with Snotlout. He's a major pain in the butt."

I gave a short laugh. "Well, see you when we get there, I guess."

"Bye."

Astrid flashed us a smile and pushed her way through the clutter and made her way towards the other kids from Berk. The boy twin looked up and said "Where have you been? We need to get on the train!"

"Calm down, I was making friends."

The boy with black hair, Snotlout, spoke up. "You don't need to make friends with anyone else! You've got us!"

"Has it occurred to you I might want to get to know more than one other girl my age, Snotlout? Besides, there's no guarantee we're all going to be in the same house. There's no harm in _talking_ to people."

Astrid picked up her own suitcase. "Well, come on, move it! You said we're going to be late if we don't, so get on the train!"

The other Berk kids followed her, and we watched as they all clambered up the steps and into one of the Hogwarts Express carriages. That was until Snotlout's face appeared in the doorway again, along with Hiccup's. Snotlout shoved him back onto the platform, saying "We don't want you in the same compartment as us, Hiccup! Go away!"

"Wow, okay! Sorry for existing!" Hiccup yelled after him. The sounds of the other kids' footsteps faded away as they walked down the carriage, and he bent over to pick up his scattered luggage.

I took a step in his direction, but Elsa beat me to it. "Are you all right?"

Hiccup looked up. "It's you! Yeah, I'm fine. Happens all the time." He grimaced, dusting off his case.

Elsa picked up a sketchbook off the ground and handed it to him. "Do you want to come and sit with us instead?"

Merida gave a quiet groan of irritation. Hiccup glanced up warily.

"Is she going to kill me if I do?"

" _No_ ," I said, nudging Merida. "She will be polite."

I heard Merida mutter under her breath "But he's a _boy_."

Elsa covered a laugh with her hand. "It's fine, really."

Merida groaned. "All right, then! Now let's hurry up and get on the train before anyone else decides to join us."

We all hoisted ourselves up the steps, trying to contain our luggage. When everyone had reached the top, we walked along the narrow corridor to search for a free compartment.

"Here," said Elsa, sliding open a door. The space inside was small, but not tiny, and beautifully clean. A wide smile spread across my face. My first trip on the Hogwarts Express was going to take place in here! I was going to remember this for the rest of my life.

"Where the hell are we meant to put these?" said Merida said, gesturing at our suitcases. "Ah, never mind, there are shelves up here."

With some difficulty, we managed to haul our trunks up onto the racks. I checked my watch. Two minutes left! My stomach was fluttering with anticipation. Merida sat down next to the window and I sat beside her. Elsa and Hiccup took the seats opposite us.

"I can't wait," Merida whispered loudly. I giggled.

"You sound like Anna when you do that," Elsa said.

"Who's Anna?" Merida asked.

"My sister."

"Hey, I have a sister!"

A new voice broke into our conversation and everyone turned to see a boy standing in the doorway of our compartment. It was the white-haired boy from Ollivander's. He was holding his suitcase, which was clearly heavy, though he was trying not to show it.

"We know you have a sister," said Merida. "We saw her in Ollivander's while you were insulting her for the sake of showing off."

The boy, Jack, I think his name was, glared at Merida. "She was being a pest," he said. "Anyway, I came for a reason. Would you mind if I sat in this compartment? No one else wants me."

"I wonder why that is." muttered Merida. Then she raised her voice. "No, actually, we don't want you here. Please go away and leave us alone."

I hesitated. "Well, I don't know..."

Merida rolled her eyes. "Stop being so bloody sympathetic, Rapunzel! Send him away!"

Elsa glanced up. "I don't care if he stays, just hurry up."

"What about you? Do you have an opinion?" asked Jack, prodding Hiccup.

"He doesn't count," said Merida. "Now get out!"

"Oh, come on," I said. "Imagine if it was you trying to get a seat and everyone kept telling you to get lost. How would you feel then?"

Merida grunted, and looked out the window.

"So… can I sit down?" Jack asked.

"Of course," I said quickly, before Merida could speak. Jack put his suitcase onto the rack. He sat down next to me.

A yell came from outside the train. "Any Hogwarts students who have _not_ already boarded the train, please do so immediately!"

A few moments later, I heard the sound of doors being slammed shut and a whistle blowing. A rush of adrenaline went through my body, and I laced my fingers together tightly. We were about to leave the platform!

I craned my neck to see out the window. There was mum, standing and waving to us. I tapped Elsa, and we each have her a quick wave back.

Hiccup raised his head. "Can you see a kind of large man with a red beard out there anywhere?"

Elsa strained her eyes and glanced around the crowd of people. "Sorry, no."

Hiccup's shoulders slumped. "He mustn't have bothered staying."

A few seconds later I felt a jolt. My eyes widened. We were moving! I jumped up to the window, my heart racing. After rattling at the window clasps for a few seconds, I managed to slide up the sash. A wave of chatter from the families and noise from the engine came in through the open window, but I could still pick out my mother's voice, shouting "See you, Rapunzel! Goodbye, Elsa! I love you both!"

I poked my head out the window and Elsa did likewise, yelling out goodbyes and promises to write. Jack joined too, shouting to his mother and sister, wherever they were. The train began to pull away from Platform Nine and Three Quarters, the noise drowned out by students and their loved ones, shouting farewells as the engine drew further and further away.

Finally, the gap between us and the station was too wide to shout across, though I continued waving until it was out of sight. Eventually I sat down again, though now the seat was jiggling and bumping every few seconds. The rocking of the carriage was a constant reminder we were getting closer to our home for the next seven years with every second.

Elsa reached over and shut the window with a thud. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and sat with her hands clasped on her lap. I glanced over to Merida who was leaning to look out the window, hands gripping the ledge tightly. Jack was kicking his legs rhythmically against the underside of the seat. Hiccup was staring out the window.

For a few minutes, we all simply sat. There was plenty to ponder, I suppose, along with looking at the beautiful view of the English countryside out the window. There were wide meadows, thick hedges, herds of cows – all so different the untidy clutter of the London streets I was used to.

We introduced ourselves as the journey went on, mainly for Jack's benefit. I learned Hiccup liked to draw, and that Merida was an avid archer, and that Jack's white hair was because of his powers over ice and snow. He and Elsa discussed those for a while, since it was their only common ground.

The train rattled on. All of us except Jack bought our lunch from the food trolley when it reached midday. I was finishing up my last chocolate frog when Elsa spoke.

"So, which house do you think you'll get sorted into?"

"Gryffindor," Merida said immediately. "I hope. It sounds like the best one."

"No, Hufflepuff does," I said. "That's what I want to get into. You'll probably be with me, Elsa."

Elsa smiled, but she still didn't seem convinced. "Sure."

"What about you, Jack?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Not Ravenclaw, I know that much."

"My dad wants me to be in Gryffindor," said Hiccup. "But I know I won't be."

Elsa jumped up, as if remembering something. She lifted her trunk down from the rack and undid the buckles. After rummaging around for a second, she pulled out a book. It looked like one of the ones she was always telling me that I had to read, a muggle story.

She handed it to Hiccup. "I brought you this. You said you were looking forward to the library."

He gasped. "Wow! Thank you!"

Elsa's eyes lit up as she watched Hiccup opening the cover and flicking through until he got to the first page. He became completely engrossed in it, prompting a small eye-roll from Jack. Elsa pulled her own book out of her trunk, yet _another_ muggle story, and became lost to the world.

There were more attempts at conversation during the rest of day, but for the most part we sat in silence. Since there was nothing else to do, I pulled out some paper and coloured pencils. It wasn't until I found my eyes straining slightly in the dimmer light of early evening that I realised our journey was drawing to an end.

I smiled as I looked out at the darkening sky. Swiftly tucking my drawing things back into my trunk, I spoke aloud. "Guys, we're almost there!"

"I know!" said Jack, his hands pressed against the window glass. "Look at the stars!"

Elsa and Hiccup packed their books away, Elsa insisting that Hiccup keep it until he was finished. Merida, who had slumped across the seat, lifted a piece of hair off her face. She sat up. Just in time too, as I could feel the train slowing. It gave another jolt, and stopped. The absence of the noise of the engine made it strangely quiet. I stood up, hearing chattering students walking along the corridor.

"Get your bags, let's go!" I said.

We squeezed back along the passageway onto the dark platform. When we got off, older students directed us to a line of other first years who were making their way through the dark night to a small lake. It was growing darker with every minute, but I managed to make out the little wooden boats that crowded the water.

A large man in a patterned sweater and lederhosen began to separate us into groups of four. I was bewildered by now, and got split up from Elsa. Instead, I ended up in a boat with Jack and Merida. Another girl with curly hair and dark skin joined us, too. She smiled at me, shaking my hand and introducing herself as Tiana.

We were all grinning in the twilight, the cool evening breeze making us shiver and clutch our robes tightly to our bodies. I finally spotted Elsa in another boat. She was sitting with Hiccup, and two more boys who I thought I recognised from the station. She saw me looking at her and waved.

The large man was now standing in the boat closest to the font and shouted something I couldn't hear. Suddenly, the boats started to move on their own. I began to try looking for the castle. Finally, as we sailed through a thick curtain of ivy, I did.

I drew in a long breath. It was dark grey in the early starlight, with towers and turrets everywhere. The windows glowed orange and warm. I knew immediately that I could never feel homesick here. I continued to stare, mesmerised.

The boats came to a halt. I glanced around. Everyone was starting to clamber out onto a pier. I followed suit, picking up my robes in order to get my legs over the side and onto solid land again. The man directed us to line up in two lines and marched us through a pair of heavy wooden doors, which were decorated with iron.

He led us right up to where a plump woman with pale grey hair tucked into a bun was waiting. She looked as if she could be stern if she wanted to, but for now she was smiling widely. She looked around at all of us in delight.

She clasped her hands together and spoke loudly.

"Hello, first years. My name is Professor Potts. Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"


	4. I know exactly where I'm going

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 1, Chapter 4**

 **Hiccup**

The old woman looked around at us, a friendly smile on her face. We must have looked pathetic standing there, gaping at the castle all shivery from the boat ride. Nevertheless, she gestured for us to us to follow her inside.

I stretched onto my toes and craned my neck over the sea of heads, trying to glimpse what lay inside. I gasped. A gigantic entrance hall lit by flaming torches stretched away from the heavy set of doors. As we walked in, I looked around in awe. It was enormous. The ceiling alone was so high above us it hardly seemed to exist at all. I could hear the muffled noise of chatter from behind a set of double doors on my right, where the rest of the students must have been. In front of us was a flight of gleaming marble steps, leading off to higher parts of the castle.

I expected we would get taken through the double doors to the rest of the school, or maybe go up the stairs to take a tour or something. However, we were led over to in a small room off the side of the hall. I ended up standing next to two girls I didn't know. I looked around for the other four that had been in the compartment with me, but I could only see Merida. She was on the other side of the room, and I only spotted her because of her cloud of bright orange hair.

The woman, once we had all found a place to stand, cleared her throat and spoke.

"Good evening, and again, welcome to Hogwarts. The rest of the school is, at this moment, seated in the Great Hall, awaiting the Start-of-Term Feast. You are not with them because I first must explain a few things to you."

"Some of you have no doubt heard Hogwarts uses a system of four houses, each one associated with a particular trait. The four houses are as follows: Gryffindor, the brave, Hufflepuff, the kind, Slytherin, the cunning, and Ravenclaw, the wise."

"Before we can begin the feast, or the school year for that matter, each of you must be sorted into one of these houses. Your house will become your second family over the course of your school life, and you will also have to chance to earn points for it by performing well in class. The house with the most points at the end of the year will win the House Cup."

A few amongst us began to murmur, but Professor Potts clapped her hands. "Silence please, children. Now, I am going to leave you in here while I check the Great Hall. Please set down your luggage; you will collect it later. I will return to retrieve you when the others are ready. Perhaps make use of the time to tidy yourselves up."

With that, she walked out of the door, leaving us with plenty of unanswered questions to discuss. Everyone started up loud conversations, though I stayed silent and stood by myself. My mind slipped into thought. What was it the professor had said? Your house felt like a second family? I hoped that was true. My _real_ family wasn't much to be proud of.

It consisted of only two people - me and my dad. That by itself was okay, there were plenty of families I knew of with two people in them, and most of them worked fine. But me and my dad were practically strangers who happened to live in the same house. We barely ever talked. We barely even _saw_ each other. He hadn't even come to the platform when I'd left that morning. I sighed. Maybe I'd have better luck with my school house.

Just then, the door swung back open. Professor Potts cleared her throat, and said "Please stand in a single file line. Follow me into the Great Hall, and wait quietly to be sorted."

The roomful of students rearranged itself into a long line. I was close to the back, standing in front of a tall boy and behind... Astrid. Great, now I'd probably trip over my own feet.

I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath as the line began to make its way out the door. We trailed back across the huge entrance hall, past the marble stairs, and finally found ourselves in front of the double doors. No sound came from behind them - everyone was waiting for us. And they'd be watching us too. Hooray.

Professors Potts hauled open the two doors, revealing another huge room, even bigger than the entrance hall. She led us single file through the doorway and into the Hall.

I gasped. There was so much to take in. My vision was crowded with bright lights and shining dishes and _people_. The hall was full of them. First, there was a long table of adults to our left at the front of the room. I assumed these were the teachers. Then to our right, and filling the rest of the space, were four more tables. These were much longer than the teachers', and stretched away from us to the back of the hall. All of the tables were laid with gleaming golden plates and goblets.

That wasn't all. I looked upwards, eyes widening as I took in hundreds of candles suspended in mid-air. They all cast out a friendly warm glow, filling the room with soft light. Beyond them, strangely enough, was the night sky. It was velvet indigo and speckled with flecks of white light. I wondered how a room could have no ceiling and yet still be on the ground floor of a multi-storey castle. Then I heard a girl in the middle of the line whispering to someone next to her, saying "It's not really the sky, it's been enchanted to look like it!"

Of course it was magic. This was a magic school. Idiot.

I dropped my gaze, and glanced across at the students at the tables. It was odd, I had expected everyone to be wearing the same plain black robes that we were, but it seemed each table had a separate colour that their accented the robes. The table closest to the door we'd entered by was green, the next one was blue, the third was yellow, and the last was red.

Something else occurred to me as I looked at the students. They were all watching us, of course, but each table seemed to observe us in a different way. The reds wore faint smiles while pointing us out to each other, while the blues squinted hard at us, as if trying to decipher our personalities. The yellows simply smiled broadly, a couple of the older ones saying "They're so cute!" or "I forgot how small they are!". _They must be Hufflepuff_.

Then I looked at the green table. A wave of unsettlement passed through my stomach. They seemed to be smiling at first glance, but when I looked closer I could see that they were sneering. I shivered. Slytherin.

There was no time to dwell on this, as Professor Potts stopped walking. We were now in a line in front of the school. The sorting was about to begin.

Professor Potts walked over to the teachers' table and picked up a scroll, tied with ribbon, and a curious pointed hat. It was brown and tattered, patched in some places and ripped in others. She set it down on a stool in front of us.

And then, the hat began to sing. It used a tear in its fabric as a mouth, and now I thought about it, a couple of wrinkles in the middle looked a lot like eyebrows.

The song went:

" _A thousand years or more ago_

 _When I was newly sewn,_

 _There lived four wizards of renown,_

 _Whose names are still well known:_

 _Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,_

 _Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,_

 _Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,_

 _Shrewd Slytherin, from fen._

 _They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,_

 _They hatched a daring plan_

 _To educate young sorcerers_

 _Thus Hogwarts School began._

 _Now each of these four founders_

 _Formed their own house, for each_

 _Did value different virtues_

 _In the ones they had to teach._

 _By Gryffindor, the bravest were_

 _Prized far beyond the rest;_

 _For Ravenclaw, the cleverest_

 _Would always be the best;_

 _For Hufflepuff, hard workers were_

 _Most worthy of admission;_

 _And power-hungry Slytherin_

 _Loved those of great ambition._

 _While still alive they did divide_

 _Their favourites from the throng,_

 _Yet how to pick the worthy ones_

 _When they were dead and gone?_

 _'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,_

 _He whipped me off his head_

 _The founders put some brains in me_

 _So I could choose instead!_

 _Now slip me snug about your ears,_

 _I've never yet been wrong,_

 _I'll have a look inside your mind_

 _And tell where you belong!_ "

The song ended, and after a brief pause, everyone began to applaud it. I gave a few half-hearted claps myself, though this whole experience seemed to be getting weirder and weirder, and I almost felt like I was in a dream.

The applause subsided, and Mrs Potts stepped forward with the scroll.

"The Sorting will now commence," she said. "When you hear your name called, please sit on the stool and place the hat on your head. Then, once you have been assigned a house, sit at your table."

She smiled at us. I didn't even try to return it. This was the most nerve-wracking thing I'd ever had to do. These next moments would decide on my family for the next seven years of my life. I exhaled.

Professor Potts unrolled the scroll.

"Arendelle, Elsa."

Elsa! She was first! I could feel her nervousness as if it was my own as she walked up to the stool. Her hands trembled as she picked up the Sorting Hat. She sat down, and placed it on her head.

After a few seconds, a startled expression crossed her face. Then, she seemed anxious. Then relieved. And then-

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat declared. The blue table burst into applause. I made out the words "We got the first kid!" from someone at the table. Elsa was smiling proudly as she went, still a bit shaky, to sit with her new family.

Professor Potts adjusted the scroll. "Bjorgman, Kristoff."

A boy with blonde hair emerged from the line. He took his place on the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The yellow table gave a great whoop this time, and Kristoff sat down.

"Callaghan, Abigail."

"RAVENCLAW!"

The brown-haired girl joined Elsa as their table cheered again.

"Corona, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel walked toward the stool. She looked like she was going to burst with excitement. She lowered the hat onto her head, and after a few seconds, it declared "HUFFLEPUFF!"

More cheering.

"Crood, Eep."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Davis, Andy."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"DunBroch, Merida."

Merida stepped out, a smirk on her face. She sat on the stool, put on the hat, and-

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Her face lit up, as did everyone's at the red table. The Gryffindors were by far the loudest cheerers.

"Epinosa, Cassandra."

The hat was silent for a while, before calling out "SLYTHERIN!"

This time it was the green table that cheered.

I tried to breathe slowly as several more names were called. With every name, my turn drew closer. I squeezed my eyes shut, opening them in time to hear "Haddock, Hiccup."

I gulped. This was it.

I somehow made my way to the stool. I picked up the hat. Its fabric was dry and brittle, which I suppose you'd expect from a thousand-year-old hat. I sat down on the seat and brought it down onto my head. I closed my eyes.

Immediately, it spoke. Not out loud, but inside my head. I had a feeling I could talk to it without speaking, too.

"Hiccup Haddock. Interesting name, though I've seen stranger. A bit nervous, aren't you? Not to worry, I'll fit you right in."

The hat fell silent for a few seconds. I sat, stomach clenched, gripping the stool with both hands. I nearly forgot to breathe.

 _Please put me in Gryffindor, please put me in Gryffindor._ I must have been thinking too loudly, because the hat replied to me.

"Aiming for Gryffindor, eh? House of the lion, and all that. Don't be too hasty, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Although-" it paused. "Yes, you could work well there. You're braver than you might think."

I was about to take off the hat and stand up, when it spoke again. "Not so fast, little one. I'm not finished yet. Other houses could suit you well too. Ravenclaw, for example. You're creative, curious. You have an urge to learn more."

The hat paused. "Perhaps you would feel at home in Hufflepuff. You have a good nature. Strong moral code."

Another silence followed. I began to get nervous. Surely no one else had taken this long. What if the hat didn't put me anywhere? Would they even let me stay at the school.

The hat sighed. "Honestly, even Slytherin might fit you! You have the makings of a good leader. Slytherin would develop that."

 _No_. I thought firmly. _Not Slytherin_.

"All right, I'll rule it out," said the hat. "Thoughts on Hufflepuff?"

 _It'd be okay._ I thought back. Was the Sorting Hat really asking meto choose for myself?

"It _would_ be okay," it agreed. "But I can tell you'd never be satisfied there. Or in Gryffindor either, for that matter. No, Hiccup, I believe you belong best in-"

"RAVENCLAW!"

It yelled the last word out loud. My new house cheered, though I barely heard it. I was drowning in relief as I left the hat on the stool and went to sit at the blue table. A girl with brown hair who looked about fifteen shook my hand.

"Welcome to Ravenclaw," she said. "I'm Belle, Fifth year prefect."

I smiled at her nervously, and sat down next to Elsa. She grinned at me.

"Hamada, Tadashi."

The black-haired boy, after a short pause, was sorted into Gryffindor.

The next name was called. "Hawkins, Jim."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Hofferson, Astrid."

Astrid, looking no more ruffled than normal, strode up to the stool. It took less than half a second for the hat to shout "GRYFFINDOR!"

It figured. Astrid was one of the bravest people I knew.

"Ingerman, Fishlegs."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Jorgenson, Snotlout."

"SLYTHERIN!"

That made sense. I wouldn't have expected him anywhere else.

"Kawena, David."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Miller, Fred."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"La Bouff, Charlotte."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Overland, Jackson."

There was Jack, walking up to the to the stool and dropping the hat onto his weird white hair. He had barely been up there ten seconds when the hat cried out-

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Pan, Peter."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Pelekai, Nani."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Phillips, Sid."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Phoenix, Kenai"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Reynolds, Guy."

"RAVENCLAW!"

I applauded with the rest of my house as a boy with brown hair joined our table.

"Rodriguez, Honey Lemon."

"RAVENCLAW!"

A tall girl who I'd never seen before made her way over to us. Belle shook her hand, and she sat down opposite me.

"Rose, Tiana."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Thorston, Ruffnut."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Thorston, Tuffnut."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Tomago, GoGo."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Truitt, Georgia"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Waialiki, Moana."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Wayans, Wasabi."

"RAVENCLAW!"

The tall girl, Honey Lemon, leapt out of her seat to hug Wasabi.

"We're in the same house! I knew it!"

Wasabi grinned at Honey Lemon, and took a seat next to her.

"And finally, Whitman, Heather."

"SLYTHERIN!"

The final round of cheering came from the Slytherin table. Professor Potts rolled the scroll back up and cleared her throat.

"Now that this year's sorting is over, I would like to introduce the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Nicholas St North. He will now give a welcome speech."

She walked back over to the teachers' table, while another teacher got up from it. North. He was tall - even taller than my father, if that was possible - and had a huge white beard. He was dressed in red robes, and had a slight smile on his face. He strode up to where Professor Potts had been standing, and rubbed his hands together.

"It is good to see you back for another year at Hogwarts!" he said. His voice was impressively loud and deep. He had a strange accent. "I would like to make a special welcome towards our new first years. We are very glad to have you here!"

"I hope you are all as excited to learn as we are excited to teach!" He gave a laugh. "But I am sure you have only one thing on your minds at moment. Time to eat!"

As soon as the words were out of North's mouth, the dishes were full of every kind of food I could think of. Golden and crispy whole chickens, roast potatoes covered with butter and salt, a plate piled with sausages. There were pies and casseroles, pastas and seafood, steaming bread rolls... so much food that I doubted even this many students could possibly get through it all.

Well, we could try. Suddenly extremely hungry, I began to pile up my plate. After filling it with twice as much as what I usually received, I stared eating. Everything tasted as good as it looked, if not better, and for a few minutes all I did was gulp it down. I slowed down after a while, my hunger somewhat satisfied, though I still had plenty of room for more.

"Your sorting took a while," said Elsa, her voice breaking into the chatter that filled the hall. She was holding a meatball skewered on a fork, which she ate after she'd spoken.

"Yeah, the hat couldn't decide," I said. "Gave me the options and everything."

Elsa set down a glass. "It did that for me too. It was between Ravenclaw and um…" she lowered her voice. "Slytherin."

"Oh."

Elsa looked worried. "Please don't tell anyone, especially not Rapunzel. She'll blab to my aunt and uncle. They aren't fond of Slytherin."

"I won't," I said. "But you know, the hat thought I could get by in Slytherin, too."

Elsa shook her head dismissively. "There's no point talking about that," she said. "We're here now. It doesn't matter."

We stopped talking again, and ate the rest of our dinner instead. I polished off every last bit of food on my plate. I could tell other people were slowing down, too, as the noise of cutlery scraping against plates subsiding. Evidently, North thought so too, and stood up again. He clapped his hands.

"Everybody, feel free to keep eating, but please quiet your talking for a few moments. I have some announcements."

He unrolled a scroll. "First of all, if you are interested in quidditch, tryouts are in second week of term. Secondly, I must remind you that no magic is to be used in corridors between classes. Last but not least, please keep out of the Forbidden Forest if you wish to keep all of your limbs intact."

I didn't know whether this was a joke or not. Some of the older students looked serious enough about it.

"Anyway, little ones, I think it is time for you to get some rest. Your prefects will lead to your dorms."

Belle stood up. "Well, let's go! You've got a long day tomorrow, and I'm sure you'll be wanting to see the common room."

I nodded, and rose to my feet. We followed Belle across the hall and put into the entrance hall. We retrieved our luggage from the small room from before. I picked my rather heavy suitcase, struggling as we had to haul it up the marble stairs. Then up another set of steps. Then across several corridors.

We must have been traipsing across the endless castle for half an hour, and my legs were beginning to ache.

"Don't worry, we're nearly there!" Belle told us. "Just up these stairs."

I looked where she pointed and saw a huge spiral staircase in front of us. I looked upwards as we started to climb, groaning when I saw how long the stairs stretched on for.

"Can we owl our families tonight?" Elsa asked Belle as we climbed. "My little sister wanted me to tell her everything. She was kicking up a huge fuss because she wasn't going to Hogwarts yet. She _knows_ she's too young!"

"I'm sure that would be okay," Belle replied. "And although it may be painful sometimes, enjoy having a sister. I'm an only child, and look how I turned out. Everyone used to call me 'the loner' up until about last year."

"I got called that," I said. Belle looked at me, surprised at the sudden interruption. I flushed. "Sorry."

Belle shook her head dismissively, still smiling. "Anyway, be grateful for siblings."

She paused, the sounds of clomping chattering students filling the staircase. "What's your sister's name?"

"Anna." Elsa blew a piece of hair out of her face. "She's eight."

"What about you?" Belle was looking at me, trying to include me in the conversation. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, I..." I chewed my lip. "It's just me and my dad."

Belle looked uncomfortable. "Oh. Right."

We continued up the stairs in silence, until Belle gave a small "Ha!" of satisfaction. I suddenly realised we were at the top of the stairs. Thank goodness.

In front of us was a large white door. There was no keyhole, and no door handle, just a small bronze piece of metal at my eye height. On closer inspection, I saw it was a door knocker, but in the shape of an eagle.

Belle gave three sharp raps with it, and waited.

To my shock, the eagle began to speak.

"If you peel off my skin, I won't cry, but you will. What am I?"

Belle cleared her throat. "An onion."

The door to the common room swung open. I understood. The eagle asked a riddle, and if you answered correctly, you were granted permission to enter.

I stepped into the room. It was circular and decorated with blue. Windows surrounded the space, looking out in every direction. Bookshelves covered any wall that might have been otherwise empty, while a few sofas were dotted here and there. Aside from the one we'd come through, two other doors were set into the walls.

Belle looked down at us, the first years. "I'm going to have to get someone to take you boys into your dorms, while I'll show you girls up to yours. Come this way."

Belle walked towards one of the two doors, the first year girls following her. A couple of others from older years also left to their dorms, although they all knew the place already and took all the time they wanted.

Another prefect, a boy this time and perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old, spoke to us.

"First year boys can come with me. I'll show you your dorm."

He led the five of us to the other door. Another shorter flight of stairs was waiting for us.

"You kids are in this room," said the prefect, tapping a door. "You'll stay in here for the rest of your time at Hogwarts, so you can make yourselves at home."

The prefect walked up the stairs. "If you need anything, come and ask someone with a prefect badge. See you."

He turned into what I presumed was his own dorm, leaving us to look at ours by ourselves.

One of the other boys pushed our door open, revealing a round room with curtained windows along one side, five beds set into the walls at intervals - each one accompanied by a large trunk at the end - a crackling fireplace, and a tall bookshelf.

"I bags this bed!" One of the other four threw their stuff onto the bed under the windows.

Soon everyone was arguing about who got which bed, though I couldn't be bothered and took the least popular one in the corner. I unpacked my suitcase into the trunk at the end of the bed, placing the folded robes in a neat pile. I needn't have worried. All the clothes I'd packed barely took up half of the trunk provided.

That meant there was room for my books. I smiled as I looked at the novels that I'd read so many times. I didn't have many books - my father didn't believe boys should stay inside and read all day - so I'd been able to bring every single one I owned.

Then, of course, there was the book Elsa had lent to me. She must have gotten it second-hand, since there was a name scribbled inside the cover. _Idun Weiss_. It had been read many times, and a few of the pages were half falling out.

By now, everyone had settled their debates about sleeping arrangements and were all unpacking their own belongings. Looking around the room, I recognised two people there. Wasabi, who was solidly built but wouldn't hurt a fly, and Guy, tall with messy brown hair and an unidentifiable pet.

The pet in question was certainly not a traditional owl, toad or cat - it was small and fuzzy and wrapped around his waist. I considered the possibility of it being a monkey, but I'd only ever read about such animals and couldn't tell.

Eventually, everyone had finished rummaging around in their suitcases and got changed into night clothes. It was about ten thirty by the time we were all in bed, but it felt later after the excitement of the train, the sorting and the feast.

I was drifting off slowly, a faint smile on my face in response to the thoughts swimming around in my half-conscious brain.

You made it off Berk.

You are at Hogwarts.

You have made friends.

You survived the Sorting Hat, and you are in the perfect house for you.

You are about to fall asleep in a _castle_.

 _You are going to be a wizard_.


	5. You've got a friend in me

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 1, Chapter 5**

 **Jack**

My first proper day at Hogwarts was finally here, and I didn't think I'd slept at all.

I blamed it on the room. The Slytherin dungeon was located directly underneath the castle moat. There was a dripping noise in the corner every few minutes, which was worrying. The bare stone walls were damp and mossy. It wasn't unpleasant, exactly, but it would take a while to get used to.

As I got dressed, I realised there was knot of worry in my stomach. That wasn't good. Slytherins were supposed to be sure of themselves. Then again, they were supposed to be good leaders, quick thinkers, and bullies as well. Perhaps I wasn't a Slytherin after all.

I was at breakfast, trying not to stand out too much. I ate a lot of food so I wouldn't have to take part in any form of conversation. While I was chewing, I sized up the people sitting at my table since I hadn't had the chance to last night.

A lot of them looked nasty, but there were a few that seemed nice. There were two other first years, both girls with dark hair, who sat quietly by themselves. A second-year boy, tall with reddish hair, offered me another egg when he saw I'd finished mine.

The first day was pretty straightforward. I had my timetable with me, and while the classrooms were hard to find, none of the teachers got angry when we showed up late. Also, because we were all just beginning, there was little actual work to be done. Nevertheless, the professors were all interesting people.

For transfiguration, the first two lessons of the day, we had Professor Potts. She was the woman who had welcomed us to Hogwarts and conducted the sorting. She smiled at us while briefing us on what this year would consist of.

The next class was charms, with Professor Toothiana. The lesson itself was discussion about the lessons to come, so instead I found myself looking at our professor, intrigued.

She seemed very young to be teaching - maybe she had only just been qualified? Her hair was naturally dark brown, but it was streaked with so many other colours that I could hardly see any brown left in there. Instead there were bright patches of pink, green, purple, yellow, and blue. The Professor was also wearing a lot of golden jewellery, dotted with multi-coloured gems that tinkled whenever she moved. Even her robes were bright, and they seemed to float as she skipped lightly around the classroom.

We had lunch next.

I was about to sit back next to Snotlout and his gang when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a second year boy.

"You're Jack, right?" he asked.

I nodded, confused.

"Oh, good," he said. "My name's Flynn. You looked kind of put off by whatshisface over there with the black hair, so we were wondering if you wanted to sit with us."

"We?"

"Me and Naveen." Flynn pointed to another second year.

"Right," I said slowly.

"So you'll join us?" he asked.

"Well..." I bit my lip. "I mean... why are you being nice? You're in Slytherin."

"So are you," he said. "And you seem nice enough."

I shrugged.

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "Look, Slytherin stereotypes suck, and some people do live up to them. But not everyone is like that, we swear. We won't, I don't know, shove your face into your lunch or anything. Promise."

Well, what did I have to lose? I followed Flynn to where he and Naveen sat. They were really funny, I discovered, and seemed to genuinely want to befriend me.

The day was completed by an introductory potions lesson with Professor Cogsworth, dinner, and then a second lesson of potions in which we began to look at a few bits of basic theory.

I went to bed content and exhausted. I fell asleep almost as soon as I'd pulled up the covers. Even Snotlout's snoring didn't bother me much.

Over the next week or so, I had gotten absolutely everything about Hogwarts figured out in my mind. I liked potions well enough, but loathed herbology. I liked Naveen and Flynn, and hated Snotlout. Professor Toothiana was brilliant, Professor Bunnymund was exasperating, and Lady Gothel (seriously, why was she called "Lady" when everyone else was "Professor"?) was really scary.

I woke up on the Monday morning of week two. We our first flying lesson after lunch and I couldn't wait. I desperately hoped I would be good at it.

I arrived at Defence Against the Dark Arts after double potions that morning, wand in hand. I liked it as a subject, and Professor Bunnymund wasn't a bad teacher, but as soon as I made the smallest joking remark in class, he would pounce.

"You're not here to mess around!" he would yell. "You are here to _learn_."

Yeah. That guy sucked.

I realised as I waited outside the classroom that this must have been a whole-year mixed class. I could see all four colours of uniform on people as they chatted outside the door.

That was another thing. I didn't have anyone to talk to. Sure, I'd made friends with Flynn and Naveen, but they were in second year. I had no one to talk to in class, which was part of the reason for all the sarcastic comments made under my breath.

Professor Bunnymund (who everyone had started calling "Bunny") arrived, and opened the classroom door. I followed the other kids through inside, readying myself for the "I know you don't know me but can I please sit next to you?" conversations that I had to have with people multiple times a day.

I scanned the room desperately. Hufflepuffs were usually okay… Ravenclaws would probably leave me alone…

A sinking feeling grew in my stomach as I noticed nearly every group of desks was full. Except for one, a row of five which only had four people at it. The ones from the train carriage at the start of term!

The empty desk was next to Rapunzel, so I made beeline for it.

"Excuse me, can I sit here?"

"Oh, sure," she said, smiling at me as she pretended not to hear Merida's loud groan.

I tried to ignore it as well, and instead dropped my satchel on the desk and sat down as the class began.

Professor Bunnymund clapped. "Okay, everyone, shut up!"

There were a few giggles, but the room grew silent.

"Thank you. In today's lesson, we will be covering two spells. They are simple, but useful. _Lumos_ and _nox_."

Murmurs of recognition sprung up around the classroom. Since my mum was a witch, I was familiar with the incantations of a lot of spells already. As for lumos and nox - they were probably the two I'd heard the most at home, mainly used when my mother was trying to read in the dark.

Professor Bunnymund continued talking, and at the same time took out his wand. "Now, I'm generally only supposed to teach you defence stuff, I mean, the class isn't called Defence Against the Dark Arts for nothing. But since you will need this a spell a hell of a lot during your lives, I figured it might be a good idea to teach it now. You'll get it eventually, so don't worry if it doesn't work right away. Okay, let's begin!"

I took my own wand from my robe pocket, spinning it around my fingers as I waited for instruction.

Bunnymund took a piece of chalk from the ledge under the blackboard. He drew a small shape on the board, like a loop of string.

"This is the shape you move your wand in," he said. "And of course, the incantation is _lumos_."

He gestured for us to begin, so I lifted my wand into the air as the voices of my classmates filled the room.

I made the loopy shape with my wand and spoke clearly. " _Lumos_!"

Nothing happened.

Typical.

I looked across at Rapunzel and the others, also brandishing their wands. By the looks of things, Merida and Hiccup had been as successful as I had. I cracked a smile as Merida bashed her wand against the desk, while Hiccup continued to speak the incantation louder and louder.

Elsa was doing better, as the end of her wand flared white every time she said the word, though it never lasted more than a second.

Rapunzel was the best of them, and held her lit wand in one hand, the other hand raised to the teacher in excitement. "Professor Bunnymund, I did it!"

Bunnymund made his way over to her, smiling when he saw her progress. "Good job, Rapunzel! Was that your first try?"

She nodded happily, and he turned to the blackboard again. "Once you succeed at lighting your wand, have a go at extinguishing it with the _nox_ incantation and this wand movement."

He drew a cartoon wave on the board.

I tried again to light the wand.

" _Lumos. Lumos_! Damn it!"

Rapunzel looked over at me. "Need any help?"

"Nope," I said through gritted teeth, noticing in annoyance that she'd managed to extinguish hers as well. " _Lumos_."

And then it happened. I'd done it. The end of the wand flushed a warm orange, fading out to yellowy white. I had never been happier.

"Yes!" I cried under my breath. Now I had to try and put it out again. Fingers crossed.

" _Nox_ ," I hissed at the wand. The glow flickered, then faded away.

"Oh, yes!" I repeated the spell several more times. Needless to say, I was impressed with myself. I looked around at the rest of my table group to see how they were faring.

Rapunzel, of course, had it completely mastered, and so did Elsa now. Merida was accomplishing the _nox_ spell as I watched, and she jumped up from her chair as the spell succeeded.

"I did it! Yes!"

I looked at Hiccup, who was glaring at his wand. A quick check of the classroom told me he was the only one who hadn't done it yet. I smirked.

"This wand hates me," he muttered.

"I'll help you," offered Elsa.

Hiccup shook his head without looking up. " _Lumos!_ "

I couldn't resist. "What's the matter, Ravenclaw?" I said. "Not smart enough to perform the simplest spell known to wizards?"

"Shut your trap, Overland!" said Merida from behind me. I turned around.

"You're defending him?" I asked. "I thought you hated boys."

"You're a boy," she said. "I hate _you_."

I opened my mouth to respond, but her logic was so odd I couldn't think of anything to say.

Hiccup, still trying fruitlessly to light his wand, spoke up. "Can you go away? I'm trying to concentrate."

"Yeah, cause concentrating is gonna help you achieve the impossible."

"Oh my gods, go away."

I was suddenly aware that the classroom had grown quiet. I snuck a glance at Bunnymund, who was leaning against the wall, half-watching us disinterestedly. He had the most infuriating expression on his face, like _look at those pathetic first years having a stupid little argument._

I scowled, turned back to Hiccup, and decided to make everything worse. "Did you say "gods"?"

Hiccup placed his wand on the table, folded his hands, and looked at me. "Why, yes I did. Would you like to know the reason? Because my ancestors were Vikings, and while they were originally from Scandinavia, made it into mainland Europe, onto the British Isles and beyond, all the way to North America actually. Some of their most travelled area was the North Sea, located between Norway and Scotland, in the middle of which is a tiny island called Berk. A few dozen Vikings settled there hundreds of years ago, and remained isolated from the outside world. While the other Vikings were losing their traditions, including clothing styles, architecture, and the Norse religion, the Berkians retained it. _That_ is why I say "oh my gods". Because where I'm from, we still have a more recent memory of the old Norse pantheon of deities."

When he finished, the entire class was dead silent. Several people had their mouths open in astonishment. Hiccup turned red and sat down with a thud.

"That was so Ravenclaw I'm going to throw up," I said. "What'd you do, eat a history book?"

"Why do you have to be so pointlessly cruel?" asked Merida. "You must just be another Slytherin bully after all."

I stood up, knocking my chair over. Merida leapt up just as quickly. She grinned. "We're in class, Overland. You wouldn't start a fight now, surely?"

I realised my hands were clenched, and then everything happened too fast for me to process. Suddenly Merida and I were at each other's throats, and Rapunzel was grabbing at both of our arms, and the class was yelling and cheering. I felt a set of knuckles slam into my nose, so I kicked out and felt my foot connect with a ribcage. Two hands grabbed me by the shoulders and suddenly I had smashed into the floor. As I hit the ground a circle of ice exploded out me, frosting over the floor and desks closest to us. Merida jumped back like she'd been hit by lightning.

For a second the room was silent. I looked up at Merida, whose mass of red hair was now coated with a fine layer of frost.

"Okay everyone." Professor Bunnymund's voice was scarily calm. "Lesson's over. You are dismissed. _Except you five_."

The rest of first year picked up their stuff and filed out the door. After the last straggler had left the room, Bunnymund shut the door behind them. He turned to face us.

"Would one of you like to explain what that was all about?" he asked. "I fail to see how it escalated so quickly. It started off as someone having trouble with the lesson, and then suddenly everyone's yelling and punching and making it snow. What happened?"

To my surprise, Rapunzel answered. "Well maybe if you had been doing your job, you could have intervened before anything drastic happened!"

Bunnymund raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I believe in letting my pupils sort out their own issues," he said. "But that was by far the most immature behaviour I have seen from students in a long time. I'm going to have to give you all detention."

I wasn't surprised. I could deal with a few detentions if I had to. But Rapunzel wasn't having any of it.

"What? What did I do?" she protested. "I was trying to stop them. And Elsa and Hiccup literally did nothing!"

Bunnymund was already walking out of the door. "Sorry, kid. Detention for all of you, right now."

"For all of lunch?"

"Yep. And this ice better be gone by the end, or this won't be your only detention."

"But-"

The door slammed shut.

I glanced around at my fellow inmates. Merida was standing with her arms folded, glaring straight ahead. Hiccup was gingerly scratching at the ice with the toe of his shoe. Elsa, still at her desk, was pretending to read a textbook. Rapunzel still had an indignant expression on her face, and sat down next to Elsa, mumbling "But I didn't do anything!"

A few minutes passed of us all sitting in silence.

Then Merida spoke. "Jack?"

"Yes?" I replied. "I hope you're going to apologise."

She laughed. "Apologise? _You_ started it."

"No, I didn't."

"Well _you're_ the one who put this ice everywhere, so I suggest you start cleaning it up."

I groaned, but dropped to the ground and started scraping it up with a book. The other four began talking as if I wasn't even there. I scowled.

"You know, I haven't actually done _any_ magic yet," said Hiccup. "It's terrible."

"Really?" asked Merida. She held out a handkerchief. "Show me. Make it fly."

Hiccup picked up his wand. I noticed he was holding it kind of awkwardly, like a right-handed person holding a pencil with their left. He cleared his throat. "Wingardium Leviosa."

Nothing.

He spoke a little louder, and moved the wand closer. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The handkerchief didn't move an inch.

"See?" Hiccup dropped the wand. "I told you."

Merida rested her chin on one hand. "I don't understand. You said it correctly, you did the right wand movement... I can't think what went wrong."

"Is that your wand?" I asked.

Hiccup gave me an odd look. "Of course it's mine! What, do you think it's been swapped out for a fake or something?"

"No, I mean… is it really yours? Did you go to a shop and get chosen by it?"

"Oh. No, I didn't." He looked up. "It was my father's, it's been passed down in our family for years. Is that why it's not working?"

"Quite possibly," said Elsa giving me a quick 'nice thinking' look. "I've read about wandlore – sometimes a wand can be passed down for generations and work perfectly, until someone very different gets introduced into the bloodline. Was your mother muggleborn?"

"I don't know, I don't remember her." Hiccup said. "It's unlikely though. Everyone on Berk is a pureblood."

Elsa shrugged. "It could be something else. The book I read that in was pretty old, and openly discriminatory when it comes to blood purity."

I got the last of the ice off the floor, and stood up. "What are you gonna do now?"

"Find a new wand, I guess," said Hiccup. "They must have some in a storage cupboard somewhere. I can find one that works well enough, and buy a proper one in Diagon Alley next year."

Bunnymund eventually came back, smiling when he saw we were apparently not all deadly enemies any more.

"Good to see you've all made friends," he said. "Lunch is nearly over now, and I think some of you have flying lessons next. You can all go."

I ran from the room, and arrived at the Quidditch pitch in time for the lesson to begin.

The teacher hadn't arrived yet, so I took the time to look around my class. It was a mixture of Slytherin and Gryffindor, which I wasn't excited about, but at least I was finally learning how to fly.

While I already knew Merida, I didn't want to go up to her when she was already with her group of friends. So I waited alone, although there was a Gryffindor boy with messy red hair who smiled at me. I didn't know his name, but he seemed nice.

Finally, we spotted a teacher, carrying at least ten broomsticks under each arm. I could tell who it was immediately, because of the multi-coloured robes that fluttered in the wind. Professor Toothiana!

I smiled. She was one of my favourite teachers already.

She arrived next to us pretty quickly, and began speaking as she laid a broom at everyone's feet.

"Hello class! Sorry I was late, I got caught up in the staff room and I didn't realise the time and - you know how it is, you get absorbed in a conversation and then realise you have to be somewhere - yeah, that happened and so I had to run like crazy, and then I nearly forgot the broomsticks which would defeat the entire purpose of the lesson, so I had to double back to collect those, and then I got pulled aside by someone asking about the charms assignment, _agh_! Anyway, I made it in the end, and all's well that ends well, I suppose!"

She took a deep breath in, beaming around at us.

"So! Welcome to flying! I've had all of you for Charms already, so I should know everyone's names. If I do forget yours, don't take it personally. I have an entire school of names to remember, and-"

Toothiana shook her head. "Sorry, I'm getting off topic. You're here to learn how to fly. First of all you're going to hold out your hand above your broom like so, and say firmly, UP!"

As she spoke the word, her broom flew up into her hand. There were a few gasps from around me, and soon everyone was trying it themselves, myself included.

"Up!"

Almost instantly, my broom lifted off the ground and came to rest in my hand. I smiled widely. I had been one of the only people who had gotten it first try. In fact, there had been just one other success: Merida.

 _Mine was first_ , she mouthed at me. I glared back.

"Next, you'll mount your broom. Make sure you keep it level and hold on tight; you don't want to slip off the end."

I swung my left leg over the broom and gripped the handle. The broom hummed gently, like it was eager to take off. Professor Toothiana walked along the line of students, correcting people's grips.

"Now I want you all to push off the ground and hover a few feet off the ground so we don't have anyone dying. On the count of three. One… two… _three_!" All at once, like a cloud, we rose up into the air. I could feel my robes being whipped about as I hovered in the air. It took an enormous amount of self-control to stop myself from leaning forward into the broom and go speeding off into the sky. But Toothiana motioned for us lower ourselves down again. We didn't do any more flying that lesson, we just learned about the parts of the broom and what you did to control it. I couldn't wait until next time.

After the period had ended, we trudged back up the sunset-lit grounds and back to the castle for dinner. I was _starving_. Flying was hard work.

I sat with Flynn and Naveen at dinner. They asked where I'd been at lunch, so I told them about the detention and the Defence Against the Dark Arts fight

When the bell rang, I snatched my bag from under my seat and raced up the flights of stairs to History of Magic. Luckily Gothel hadn't shown up yet, so the class was still lined up outside. Unlike most History of Magic classes, it was only Slytherins who had lined up, which puzzled me until I remembered that the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had their flying lessons tonight. This lesson would be for Slytherins only.

I was about to suggest we pick the lock to get into the classroom when I heard the sound of heels clip-clopping down the hallway. The entire class scrambled to get into a straight line and immediately stopped talking. Lady Gothel rounded the corner, crimson robes swishing behind her. She was smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes. Like a shark.

Without looking at us, she opened the door.

As soon as everyone was inside, Gothel closed the door, strode up to the front of the room and scrawled something on the board. I squinted at it. The dusty white letters on the greenish board twisted around in my vision. As far as I could tell, the words said " _Mareflom Copa fo Coubnct"_ , which couldn't possibly be right.

"Werewolf Code of Conduct!" Gothel said, beginning the lesson. Yeah, that made more sense. If I went through each letter one-by-one, and tilted my head to the side I could see it.

Gothel began to tell us all about the werewolf code of 1637. Her voice was monotonous; I stopped paying attention after five minutes. I rested my head on my arms and looked out the window. I could see the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws lined up on the pitch, ready to fly.

They mounted their brooms and the whistle blew. One Hufflepuff, most likely Fishlegs Ingerman from his size, started to rise off the ground much too quickly.

Three seconds after he disappeared from view, I saw a screaming yellow and black shape flailing past the window. He did a few loops around the quidditch pitch before crashing to the ground. I raised myself out of my seat and saw another Hufflepuff girl running towards Fishlegs' broken form on the ground. It was Rapunzel - the mass of hair trailing behind her as she ran was instantly recognisable. She knelt down beside him, and wrapped a strand of her hair around his wrist and leg. I don't know what she did, but her hair started to glow with an eerie yellow light. As abruptly as it started, the light died down and Fishlegs stood up and was escorted to the entrance hall by professor Toothiana.

I blinked. What had just happened? Did she… _heal_ someone with her _hair_?

As soon as the door closed behind them, the bell tolled and the class started to pack up. When I raised my head, I saw Gothel staring out the window, not towards where Fishlegs went, but straight at Rapunzel.


	6. It's a scary world out there

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 1, Chapter 6**

 **Merida**

There were only a few weeks left until Christmas. I was eating breakfast with the other Gryffindor girls. The five of us had become close friends over the term, and were now discussing our plans for the holidays.

Eep had frizzy orange hair and always looked untidy. She spoke with her mouth full of porridge. "I'm going to the mountains."

Moana had only recently moved to Britain. "I'm going to London, to my mum and dad and gramma. I wanted to go back to Tokelau, just for a visit, but Dad won't let us."

"That sucks," said Astrid. "If you wanted, you could come to Berk sometime. It's an island too."

"I know," Moana said, prodding at her breakfast. "But it's not the same. Even the oceans are different. Yours is so cold, and… grey."

Astrid shrugged. "I guess, but I don't mind it. That's where I'm going for Christmas."

"Are the rest of the Berk kids going back?" asked GoGo, buttering her toast.

Astrid often told us about her companions, and was brutally truthful about a lot of things. Snotlout was terrible, the twins were never _not_ fighting, Fishlegs never shut up, and Hiccup was the worst excuse for a wizard the world had ever seen. In that way, we got to know the Berkians quite well, even though we barely ever talked to them.

"I think everyone's going home," said Astrid in response to GoGo. "Oh, except Hiccup. His dad owled him the other day to tell him to stay on."

"Oh, that's why he wasn't talking to anyone in Transfiguration," I said. "He really is a bit soft, isn't he?"

Astrid laughed. "You have no idea."

Almost unconsciously, I glanced across to the Ravenclaw table to see if anyone has heard that comment. Luckily, there was only one second year there, and they had their head buried in a book.

"Anyway," I said, turning back. "I'm going home for Christmas, too. I can't wait to tell my parents about everything we've done! They'll be horrified!"

"They're muggles, right?" asked Moana. I nodded.

We continued eating breakfast. I thought more about going home as I chewed, imagining my mother's face as I described spells and charms to her. I smiled. As much as I loved Hogwarts, I did miss my family.

My thoughts were interrupted by owls swooping down from the ceiling to deliver the mail. The first time it happened, it had scared me out of my wits. After it kept happening day after day, I got used to it. That didn't mean I wasn't duly concerned that one would poop in my breakfast.

"What lessons do we have today?" a Gryffindor boy asked. Peter Pan, I remembered.

Astrid answered immediately. "Potions, History of Magic. Then after lunch we've got two periods of Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs."

I smiled. Hufflepuffs meant Rapunzel, and Rapunzel meant easy answers to all the classwork.

After we ate, us five girls walked to the potions classroom for a rather boring Gryffindor-only period of cauldron theory. After that, we had history of magic. I groaned when I remembered that. We had the _worst_ teacher.

We made our way to the classroom and found Elsa and Hiccup there already. Elsa was talking to Hiccup about something that involved wild hand gestures. Hiccup was nodding his head at something when I walked over to them, leaving the other girls to study or something as I knew they wouldn't join us.

"So, how are you Ravenclaws these days?" I asked.

"Good." Elsa answered absently. Then she stood up straight, as if remembering. "Oh! Merida, are you staying at Hogwarts for Christmas?"

I shook my head. "I need to go back home and tell my parents about this year. They made me promise to come home every opportunity I get. What are you doing?"

Elsa shrugged. "Well, my aunt and uncle haven't said they want me home or if they want me to stay here. I'll probably go, I guess. Anna will get mad if I don't."

She smiled, thinking about the little sister we'd all heard so much about. Then she glanced across at Hiccup. "What will you be doing?"

"My dad doesn't want me home," he said bluntly. "So I'll be here. We don't even celebrate Christmas on Berk anyway, so it's not like it matters."

We didn't say much after that, even when Rapunzel arrived. She looked as if she had something to say, but before she could begin, Lady Gothel stepped out from the classroom.

She cleared her throat. We all turned to look at her. It was odd, I noticed as I studied her face, there seemed to be more wrinkles around her eyes than there had been three days ago. I could have sworn her hair had more silver in it, too.

She looked around at us.

" _Now_ , boys and girls, today we will be focusing on the history of the four Hogwarts founders. Can anyone tell me who they were?"

I knew this! Being muggleborn, there weren't many things I _did_ know, so I wasn't going to pass up the chance. I put my hand up.

"Miss DunBroch," Gothel said. She smiled coldly. "Go ahead."

"Well, there's Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw…" I cursed myself internally. I'd forgotten the first names of the other two. I decided to wing it. "Uh… Heather Hufflepuff and Sylvester Slytherin?"

Gothel raised her eyebrows. "I'm afraid that is quite incorrect. Detention and ten points from Gryffindor."

"What?!" I yelped. From the back of the line, I heard snickering. It was probably Snotlout and the twins, though I didn't turn around. My face went red as I held her gaze. Two detentions already! What would my parents say?

"Excuse me, Lady Gothel." Beside me, Rapunzel raised her hand. "But I don't think that's quite fair. Merida is muggleborn, so she can't be expected to know everything yet. She did her best, and she still got your question half right!"

With next to no warning, Gothel had become furious. "Miss Corona, speaking out of turn will not be tolerated in this class. Detention for you, too. Both of you see me after class."

She did let us inside eventually. Elsa, Hiccup, Rapunzel and I took our usual seats one row from the back. I was in no mood to listen to anything Gothel had to say, so I tuned her out and began drawing in the margins of my book. I managed to avoid getting called on the entire time.

When the bell rang, Rapunzel and I exchanged a fearful glance. I scooped my satchel into my arms and prepared myself for the worst Gothel could dish out.

"Miss DunBroch," she said. "Your detention will be during dinner tonight. You will go to the kitchens at 7 o'clock and polish the silverware. No magic, just elbow grease. And be aware that I _will_ know if you don't do as you're told."

I hesitated, waiting to see if there was anything else.

"Shoo!"

I hurried out the door, leaving Rapunzel all on her own. I wished we could have gotten the same punishment, then I'd have someone to talk to. But on second thoughts, that _would_ defeat the purpose of a detention.

I sat with my Gryffindor friends at break, and again in Transfiguration. It was a theory lesson, so nothing much happened, although, something in the class did strike me as odd. I didn't realise what it was until I was walking to the kitchens for detention. Despite it being a Gryffindor/Hufflepuff lesson, Rapunzel hadn't been there.

I mentioned it to my friends as we walked into the last period of the day. They mostly shrugged it off, saying that Rapunzel knew what she was doing. But I wasn't so sure. I didn't trust Gothel in the slightest, what if she had done something to my friend? Or perhaps Rapunzel was trying to find a room and got lost. It wasa big castle. Maybe she'd turn up in the morning.

But the next day, no one had seen Rapunzel since History of Magic. Gothel was also absent from breakfast, but turned up later in the day without an explanation.

I was convinced now. Something was wrong.

A day passed, then another. Elsa, who was Rapunzel's cousin, was the most worried. She had questioned me thoroughly about the afternoon of the disappearance, but I couldn't help her. She started getting more and more anxious, zoning out in the middle of conversations, and occasionally skipping meals.

One morning I sat with her and Hiccup at the Ravenclaw table. It was probably against the rules, but I had to make sure she was eating. I wouldn't let her go to class until she ate a bowl of porridge and drank a cup of tea. We talked a lot, about books, and muggle culture, and the house cup – trivial things to take our minds off it.

Towards the end of the meal, Jack got up from the Slytherin table and slid into the empty seat next to Hiccup. Most of the other first years were already on their way to charms, but we stayed at the table. Sitting in each other's' company. It was oddly comforting, actually. After a minute of silence, Jack raised the question that was on everyone's mind.

"So what are we going to do?"

Hiccup answered. "Find her, I guess."

"But _how_?" I snapped. "It's been a week. The teachers aren't even trying."

Elsa put her head on her arms. "Where would we even start?"

"Well," I said, determined. "Well, we can check her dormitory for a start. Look around the History of Magic classroom. Anywhere there might be clues we can follow."

"Nice plan, Sherlock," said Elsa irritably. "Except we have classes. How can we play detective when we're meant to be in school?"

Jack interrupted. "You're a Ravenclaw, aren't you? Act like it, use your brain. Surely you or Hiccup can come up with a believable excuse for getting out of class."

"Yes, you lot do that," I said. "I'm going to skip Charms and check out the Hufflepuff dormitory. If I find anything, I will bust into class and drag you out. Trust me, we _will_ find Rapunzel."

I left the Great Hall with the other three, but I split off from them before we got to the classroom. Instead, I made my way to the kitchen corridor and walked up to the stack of barrels on the right. Rapunzel had told me how to get into the common room – you had to knock on the second barrel from the bottom in a certain rhythm. _One-_ two _one_ -two-three.

The lid of the barrel swung open, and I crawled inside. The common room was bright, lit by a couple of round windows as well as a few paper lanterns and a large fireplace. It was a bit of a mess with couches and rugs and plants strewn all over the place. The walls were covered in people's paintings and drawings. Someone's cat watched me from the corner.

Amidst the clutter I found a wooden door; an entrance to the dorms. I only had to go through a few rooms before I found Rapunzel's. It was time to get down to business.

I sifted through her clothes trunk. There were two full sets of her uniform in there, which meant she'd taken the other one with her. That made sense, she was wearing it. Nothing else was obviously missing, which meant Rapunzel hadn't had any warning before she disappeared.

I was about to go and tell the others what I thought when I caught sight of something thin and dark on the pillow of Rapunzel's bed. A wand! I snatched it up and turned it over in my hands. It was covered in black dust, but seemed otherwise intact. What was it doing separated from its owner? No witch or wizard would willingly go anywhere without their wand. I grimaced and shoved the wand in my pocket. It was certain now. Our friend had been kidnapped.

As I stood up, I noticed a small patch of dark powder on the ground, the same stuff that was on Rapunzel's wand. It trailed from the beside the bed to the door, so faint that I must have missed it on the way in.

I pushed the door back open. Now that I was looking for it, I could see black line of dust weave its way across the common room. I followed it out through the barrel entrance, across a corridor, and up three flights of stairs. It reached an end outside the History of Magic professor's office, which was locked up with no lights on. Too bad. I wasn't going to stop investigating now, not with evidence like this. I grabbed a mace from a nearby suit of armour, and it only took me a few seconds to smash through the lock.

A cold wind hit me in the face. Mace still in hand, I found myself standing in front of the grey office. An armchair lay upturned on the floor and bits of paper swirled through the air. The window had been smashed; shards of glass lay scattered across the room. But in the corner was a tidy desk with a neat pile of books and a working clock sitting on it. This place wasn't actually deserted. Gothel was still using it. But there was no denying something terrible had happened here.

I walked across the rubble to the glassless window. The sky was full of dark clouds, and gusts of wind were making my eyes water. Ignoring the sense of dread in my stomach, I bent down and looked at the floor. Sure enough, the same dark dust as before coated the room in a thin layer. What could it mean?

Fluttering from the windowsill, caught on a shard of glass, was a long brown hair. I held it carefully between my fingers. It must have been Rapunzel's - no one else in the school had hair that long. But... brown?

I suddenly felt very sick. What if Rapunzel was _dead_? The thought hadn't even occurred to me before, but now my mind was overwhelmed with bloody images of corpses. Twisted limbs, burning flesh, desperate lungs choking through liquid. I stumbled forwards, slipping on the glass and paper. My hands hit the ground – it hurt, but I barely felt it through my panic. My heart was thudding in my ears as the door slammed shut behind me and echoed across the hallway. I slumped against the wall and drew in a deep breath.

I pressed my fingers against my eyes. The awful cold feeling was melting away as I breathed. What had made me see those things? Gothel was evil enough to kidnap a first-year student, so was she using some kind of dark magic in that room? A nasty thought, but I didn't have time to worry. Now I had evidence, I needed to tell the others.

I raced into the Great Hall, arriving just as Elsa and Hiccup were sitting down to lunch. Jack stood beside them.

"Merida, there you are!" Elsa exclaimed. "I couldn't concentrate for all of Charms! Did you find anything?"

"You look terrible," Hiccup added.

"Thanks. Yes, I did find something. Look at this."

I pulled the wand out of my pocket and put it on the table. Almost unconsciously, the four of us shuffled inwards, closing it off from view.

"But that's Rapunzel's," Elsa whispered.

I nodded. "Found it in her dorm."

"That means, wherever she is-"

"She doesn't have it with her," I finished. "I know. But there's more."

I wiped my hand over the wand and showed the them dust on my finger. "This stuff. I don't know what it is, but it was in a trail leading to Gothel's office. And _in_ the office, I found a broken window and some of Rapunzel's hair. Only… it was brown."

"That's right," Elsa said. "You all know her hair's magic. Well, when you cut it, it turns brown and loses its power. That's why she's let it grow so long; if she gets a haircut, she won't be able to heal anyone anymore."

No one said anything. The prospects of finding Rapunzel seemed pretty bleak. We knew for sure she'd been taken, but to _where_?

"Wait a minute," Hiccup said. "Can I see her wand again?"

I rolled it over to him. He picked up some of the dust with a finger and, oddly, sniffed it.

"What are you doing?" asked Jack.

Hiccup didn't answer him, but he looked at me. "That's why you were so pale. You breathed it in, didn't you?"

"I guess so. How do you know what it is?"

He put the wand back on the table. "There's a story we have on Berk. More than a thousand years ago there was this wizard who had incredibly powerful magic. But his power was consumed by evil. Soon he became a spirit of nightmares that drifted around, looking for souls to destroy and people to terrorise. The dust on Rapunzel's wand is actually sand, full of his essence. He left a trail of it wherever he went."

"Oh, I've heard of him!" Jack said. "And the sand… they say that if you breathed it in, you'd see your worst fears right there in front of you."

"That must be it, then," I said. "That's what I saw. What was the wizard's name?"

Elsa gave me an odd look. "Merida, I don't think it's a real story. It was just made up to scare little witches and wizards into obeying their parents. It's a fairy tale. A fable."

"Exactly," Jack agreed. "And even if he _was_ real, they say he died out with the dark ages."

"Well, I don't know about that," I said. "But the sand was the real thing, I promise."

"She's right," said Hiccup quietly. He had been trying to get rid of the rest of sand on his finger. "It happened to me too."

Elsa looked downwards. I supposed the prospect of an ancient legendary villain kidnapping your cousin was a little overwhelming.

"What is his name, then?" I asked again. "If we're going to go looking for him, I should know what to call him."

"He called himself the 'guardian of fear'," said Hiccup. "But his name is…"

He glanced around and lowered his voice. "Pitch Black."


	7. The snow glows white

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 1, Chapter 7**

 **Elsa**

"Pitch Black? You mean the boogeyman?"

"Yes!" I said impatiently. "What do you know about him?"

I was asking Belle, one of our prefects.

"Well, nobody knows how real the stories are. Like with Robin Hood. There _may_ havebeen someone called Pitch Black a very long time ago, but the whole nightmare and fear thing could be completely invented."

"Hmm," I said.

"And then there's the whole business with his followers. In the last century or so, there's been this group of people emerging that follow the Pitch Black of the legends. It's like a cult – they do the most horrible things. Murdering, kidnapping, torturing… you name it. And all in the name of some fairy tale!"

That made me think. Maybe the boogeyman _was_ just a story, but Gothel was one of those crazy followers. But then there was the black sand. Merida and Hiccup hadn't been joking about what they'd seen when they breathed it in. And apparently a bunch of Hufflepuffs had been having nightmares recently. We knew why.

I remembered to thank Belle before I left for class. It was getting hard to remember all those little politenesses these days. _Please_ and _thank you_ and _excuse me._ My brain didn't have enough space for that when I was worrying about Rapunzel twenty-four seven.

I'd gone straight to the teachers the day she'd disappeared, but they didn't do a thing to help. Evidently, students spontaneously disappearing was not as much of an issue to them as it was to me. All they'd said was "There's nothing to be done, dear. We'll just have to wait it out. Maybe she ran away or something."

But that was before we'd found the sand and the wand. We had evidence to prove she was gone.

After class, I marched straight to North's office. Normally, I wouldn't want to bother the headmaster. But now there was possibly a life on the line.

Merida came with me for moral support, though I assumed she'd probably end up doing most of the talking. She also brought the wand, which I'd forgotten in my haste.

We arrived at the door, and I drew in a breath. We'd decided not to mention the boogeyman. I didn't want to be laughed at. The shiny golden plaque that said "Headmaster Nicholas St. North" was suddenly imposing. I raised my knuckles and gave the door three sharp raps.

Quite quickly, I heard the reply. "Come in!"

My hands were slippery on the doorhandle. I turned it, and pushed the heavy wooden door inwards. Behind it sat Headmaster North, facing us from the other side of his desk. He seemed larger in person than he had at the sorting, though he smiled at us as we shuffled into the office.

"Ah, first years!" he exclaimed happily. "You are all enjoying school so far?"

I mumbled an agreement, and North laughed.

"But of course, this is not why you are here. Please, tell me, what do you want to say?"

I bit my lip, shifting uncomfortably as I tried to work out a way to phrase exactly what was going on.

"Rapunzel's gone," said Merida bluntly. "Our friend Rapunzel, a Hufflepuff, disappeared a few days ago."

North's jolly face grew serious. "Disappeared, you say? Did you tell anybody else?"

"Yes! And no one helped us!" said Merida. "All they told us was that she'd turn up eventually or some rubbish and no one bothered to look into it! It's like nobody cares!"

North tugged on his beard thoughtfully. "I am sorry to hear that. Do you think maybe she ran away?"

"No!" I cried, before I could stop myself. "I mean... no, sir. She's my cousin, I know her. Rapunzel would never run away."

North scratched his head. "Well-"

"But that's not all!" Merida said quickly. "Because no teachers could be bothered to help us, I looked into it myself."

Merida dropped the wand onto the desk. North raised an eyebrow. "What is this for?"

"Evidence," said Merida. "And proof."

She took the first item out of the bag, which happened to be Rapunzel's wand. "I found this by her bed in her dorm. What sort of witch would go somewhere without a wand?"

North nodded, but I noticed his face seemed a little too nonchalant to be taking us seriously. "That is true. But first-years, no offense meant, can be forgetful. Perhaps she was just careless?"

Merida narrowed her eyes, but kept it together. "I also paid a visit to Lady Gothel's office, the last person she was seen with before she disappeared. I found a broken window with a piece of hair caught on it."

North's eyebrows went up in what seemed to be thinly disguised amusement. "Hair?"

" _Rapunzel's_ hair!" Merida scowled. "You know what? I'll move on to the important stuff so you actually believe us. Then you'll be interested."

"Go ahead," said North, a smile twitching in the corner of his mouth.

Merida snatched up a piece of paper from North's desk and shook the wand over the top of it. She explained how she'd found the sand it leading from the dorm to the office.

"Smell it," she said, holding up the dark-speckled paper to him. Looking at bemusedly, the headmaster took a sniff.

His face changed immediately. He jumped back from the desk, eyes wide.

" _What is that_?" he yelled. "I saw… they were burning, it was-!"

"Your worst fear," I said. "Yes."

North didn't speak for a few seconds. He wiped his hand over his eyes, and tried to steady his breathing.

"Girls," he said finally. "I don't know what that is exactly, but it is very, very, evil magic. And from Gothel's office?"

Merida nodded.

"Imagine! A dark wizard under my own employment!" He shook his head. "I am sorry, girls, but there is little I can do for your friend if she is in the clutches of evil. I cannot possibly imagine what Gothel wants with her."

My hands flew up to my mouth. "Her hair!"

"What about her hair?" North stared intently at me.

"Her hair is magic," I said. "One of those wizard traits some of us get. It glows when you chant a certain spell, and can heal injuries."

"Healing hair..." North looked astounded. "No, my dear, that is not an ordinary magical trait at all! I have never heard of anyone being _born_ with a gift like that before. Your cousin is in terrible danger!"

I must have looked ill at that point, but North wasn't paying attention. He wondered out loud. "Why wouldn't Gothel just cut off the hair and use that instead? It would surely be simpler than kidnapping an entire girl."

"It wouldn't work," I said hoarsely. "Any part of her hair that has been cut loses its power. He - _she_ must have known. That's why she took her."

I rested my head in my hands. How had we gotten ourselves into this mess?

I wasn't crying, but I must have looked like it. North patted me on the shoulder and said, "Why don't you go and take a break in your dorm? I will write you a note to excuse you from class."

I glanced up at Merida as North took out a quill.

" _Lucky_ ," she mouthed, though she was still smiling.

North handed me the finished note, and we made our way out the door and back down the corridor. We walked in silence for most of the way, splitting up as we reached the turn off to the Ravenclaw tower.

"I'll see you at dinner, then," said Merida.

"Yeah. Bye."

I watched Merida take off along the hall, her robes billowing out behind her as she half-ran to her next class. I turned towards a different corridor and wove my way around the flights of stairs and doorways until I reached the door with the bronze eagle knocker.

After I'd tapped on it, the eagle opened its mouth and spoke.

"The one who makes me does not need me, the one who buys me has no use for me, and the one who uses me can neither see nor feel me. What am I?"

"A coffin."

I had read several books on riddles after arriving at Hogwarts, determined to never have to admit defeat to the eagle. Sure enough, I was right, and the door swung open.

I stepped into the common room, taking a deep breath. It was cold in there, but I quite liked the crisp air that blew in from the clear sky. All the windows surrounding the room were wide open and the soft white fabric of the curtains billowed gently.

I rubbed my sleep-deprived eyes, glad that

I finally had a good chunk of time by myself.

As it grew closer and closer to Christmas, other kids began to chatter about what they were doing for the holidays. Everyone seemed so caught up in excitement, going on and on about all the presents they were going to get and how happy they'd be to see their families.

Speaking of families, mine owled me nearly every day now. I'd told them Rapunzel had been taken, and I could only imagine how scared Uncle Frederick and Aunt Arianna were. Rapunzel wasn't their cousin. She was their _child_.

Anna owled me as well, often including small drawings with each letter. They were a comfort, though I was constantly reminded of our predicament whenever Rapunzel was featured, her hair in bright yellow crayon.

It was now a week and a day before Christmas. There was a commotion in a few of the older years about some tournament that was being held in France, though I was told by Professor Potts that it didn't concern me.

Everyone who was going home were packing their trunks, Merida and Jack were among them. I had assumed I would be as well, until the day before the Hogwarts Express was due to leave for London.

It was after dinner, and after the last class of the day. I was sitting in the Ravenclaw common room, when an owl swooped in through one of the windows. I thought nothing of it until I heard my name called.

"Elsa Arendelle!"

I looked up, shutting my book. It was the head girl, Aurora.

"Owl for you."

She prised the letter from the bird's claws and handed it to me. I tore open the envelope as the owl flew back into the night sky.

" _Dearest Elsa_ ," it read. " _We are so sorry to have to ask this of you, but would you mind terribly if you stayed at Hogwarts over Christmas? We would dearly like to spend the holidays with you, but the circumstances at home are awfully complicated, and we fear we would have trouble looking after you in the current situation. Nevertheless, we hope you have a good holiday season, as does Anna. Love from your Aunt and Uncle_."

I looked up from the page. I was disappointed, of course, but I felt oddly relieved in a way, glad I wouldn't have to face the parents of the girl I'd let disappear. I was sure they didn't blame me, but I felt bad even so.

I folded the letter and slid it back into the envelope, turning toward the door to the staircase. I needed to find and tell the others.

Eventually, I found Merida hovering around outside the girls' toilets, waiting for someone to finish up.

"Hi, Elsa," she said cheerfully. She noticed my expression. "What happened now?"

"I can't go home for Christmas," I said sighing. "It's really messed up with Rapunzel gone. My aunt and uncle thought it would be best if I stayed here."

"Oh." Merida looked downcast. "That sucks."

"Yeah. It's okay, though. I'll have Hiccup to talk to."

Merida nodded, then gave a sudden groan.

"What?"

"Ugh, I just realised something. Without you on the train, I'll have to talk to that stuck-up git Jack Overland!"

I cracked a smile, which was undoubtedly her intention. "Sorry."

Merida shook her head, smiling, as one of the other Gryffindor girls emerged from the bathroom. She was short, and had spiky black hair.

"What took you so long?" asked Merida.

"None of your business," said the girl curtly. She turned to me. "Who are you?"

"I... My name's Elsa."

"GoGo."

She shook my hand, then looked back at Merida. "You know; we should probably get to bed if we want to have any energy for the train tomorrow."

"Good point. See you, Elsa."

I waved to Merida as she walked back to the Gryffindor dorm, wherever it was. I stifled a yawn, trying to ignore how much I needed to go to bed myself. But first, I had to find the boys and tell them the change of plans as well. I turned to leave, and-

"What the-?!"

Jack stood in front of me, arms folded and with a stupid smirk on his face. I narrowed my eyes.

"I'm guessing you already know what I was going to tell you, then?"

"About you staying here? Yeah."

I rolled my eyes. "Sneak. Do you know where Hiccup is?"

"Nope. Don't really care either."

Jack turned on his heel and walked away. He was nearly at the end of the corridor when he turned back again. "On second thoughts, he's probably at the library. Isn't that where all the Ravenclaws usually end up?"

"Not all Ravenclaws are the same, Jack!" I yelled after him.

"Yeah, well neither are all Slytherins, and look how many people believe that!"

He disappeared around a corner, and I wondered for a second what exactly that last comment was supposed to achieve. I shook it off, and instead walked to the library. I pushed open the door and smiled. I was met by the dim musty smell of books and dim candle light.

Jack may have been wrong about _every_ Ravenclaw liking the library, but I was definitely one of the ones who did.

I glanced around the mostly deserted room for Hiccup. I soon spotted him sitting in a corner, reading silently. He looked up as I approached.

"What is it?" he asked, closing his book with his finger in it to mark the place.

"Well... it turns out I can't go home for Christmas."

Hiccup blinked. "Oh. Because of Rapunzel?"

"Yeah."

"I figured that might happen."

A small pause.

"So... I guess I'll see you later, then?"

"Right. Bye."

My birthday was three days before Christmas, but I hadn't even remembered it until I got an owl from Uncle Frederick and Aunt Arianna. It contained some money and a birthday card, but the day was soured when I began to contemplate Rapunzel again. Did she know it was it was my birthday, wherever she was? Did she know the date? Would she make it to her own twelfth birthday? Was she even still alive?

I decided I wouldn't say anything to Hiccup, who I was hanging around with even more than usual. I didn't want to make a fuss.

" _Hello Elsa! We all hope you have a great Christmas! Everything is going okay at home, though we are all missing Rapunzel. We received the lovely cards you sent, and they are sitting on display on the mantelpiece. Your own presents should arrive shortly, if they haven't already. We miss you very much! Love from Aunt Arianna and Uncle Frederick_."

I folded up the letter that had been dropped into my window by owl that morning. I then unfolded the second one, which I assumed was Anna's. I was right.

" _Merry cristmas, Elsa! I hope you like all you'r presens! Love Anna_."

She had included a picture of a Christmas tree, under which was a huge mountain of presents. Standing to its left was a small person with orange hair, and to its right was a slightly bigger person with faint yellow hair. I took these to be myself and Anna.

I smiled to myself and attached her picture to the string of the other drawings above my bed. I had quite the collection of her brightly coloured pictures now.

Taking a long breath in, I stretched my arms above my head. It was about seven thirty in the morning, and being Christmas Day there was no reason for me to get moving particularly fast. I glanced around the empty dorm. The only other first year Ravenclaw staying on for Christmas was Hiccup, and he of course was in a different dormitory.

I got out of bed slowly, looking across to my trunk. On top of it were three new books, several chocolate frogs, and a shiny pocket-watch; all gifts from my family that had arrived separately by owl. I carefully laid them all on the bed so I could open the trunk to get out my robes. I changed quickly, and then exited the room.

The Ravenclaw common room was quiet as I walked into it, the silence interrupted only by the ticking of the old grandfather clock and the crackling of the fireplace. I plopped myself into a couch beside it and sat, thinking. After such a long time at school and in classes, it was odd to have time to do nothing at all. Odd, but pleasant.

The girls' door creaked, and I looked up to see a second-year girl closing it behind her. Jane, I think her name was. She nodded a friendly hello to me, and then slipped out the main door, leaving to have breakfast.

Shortly after that, the boys' door creaked open as well. It was Hiccup, fully dressed but still bleary-eyed. He was holding a small white envelope.

He was smiling.

"What's that?" I asked.

Hiccup sat down on the couch next to me.

"It's from my dad." His grin grew wider. "He wrote to me!"

I smiled back at him. Hiccup rarely talked about his family, so I wasn't quite sure of everything that went on at home. I was aware that he and his dad didn't talk much, and his dad seemed somewhat disappointed in him. I would have like to know more about it, but on the other hand, I wasn't sure he knew that much about _my_ family either. I could ask him, but I knew what sensitive subjects felt like and I didn't want to offend him. Then again, we had been friends since September, so perhaps I had a right to know. I took a deep breath and asked cautiously.

"So... what exactly is going on with you and your dad?"

Hiccup looked at me. "I was kind of hoping you'd never ask me that."

"You don't have to say anything," I said quickly. "I just thought - well, maybe you wouldn't mind...?"

Hiccup stared at the ground, the grandfather clock seeming louder in the growing silence. His expression gave little away, though he was probably deciding on how much he wanted to tell me. Finally, he raised his head again.

"My dad is huge and strong. He was in Gryffindor. Whenever he played Quidditch, he won. He was head boy. He's the chief of our village..."

Hiccup trailed off, stopping to fiddle with his robes. "And then there's me. I'm tiny and skinny and I can barely lift my own suitcase. I'm not brave, I like _reading_... We're nothing alike. He tries not to show it, but I'm not an idiot. It's obvious he's disappointed."

I frowned. "He shouldn't be. Curiosity isn't a bad thing."

" _We_ know that." Hiccup sighed. "He sure doesn't. Sometimes I wish, I know I shouldn't, but I wish he wasn't my dad. Or that I could trade him for someone else's. What was yours like?"

"Kind." I said, avoiding meeting his eyes. I twisted my braid around my finger. "Patient. Smart, too; he was the Advisor to the Minister for Magic in Norway. Before we moved. And then… you know."

I swallowed and looked down at my hands. There were crystals of ice forming on my fingertips. My parents had died nearly four years ago, but the image of them lying cold and stiff on the floor was seared into my mind for eternity.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "So. What are we going to do about Rapunzel?"

The ice began to melt. I looked up. "Well. We know Gothel took her, and that Gothel is a follower of Pitch Black, who may or may not exist. Either way, someone wants the power in her hair and probably doesn't mind if she gets killed in the process."

"But," said Hiccup. "We don't know where she is, or whythe power is so important to Gothel."

"So how do we find out?" I asked. "We have no leads, and I seriously doubt that a bunch of first years would be able to locate a dark wizard's hiding place."

"Unless she leaves a trail of that black sand wherever she goes," Hiccup continued. "Then we could just like, follow it and defeat her instantly."

"Brilliant," I said.

We sat in silence.

"Should we have breakfast?" Hiccup asked after a few minutes.

I looked at the clock. "Sure."

We arrived at the Great Hall five minutes later. Upon stepping inside, my lungs were filled with the rich smell of bacon, eggs, fried sausages, and buttery toast.

Along with the food, the Hall itself was a magnificent sight. Small clusters of students, apparently sitting at whatever table they wanted, were chatting amongst themselves. Twelve enormous Christmas trees were dotted around the vast room, filling the air with another scent, the smell of pine. Each tree was a lush deep green, and decorated with sparkling tinsel and shining stars. Strung up across the walls of the hall were leafy bunches of holly and mistletoe, small golden bells and scarlet ribbons.

But the best part of the decorations was the ceiling. I had grown used to the roof of the Hall displaying the likeness of the sky above, but today... today was something else. Today, it was snowing!

Delicate flakes of white were slowly drifting to the floor. I looked up at the bright white clouds overhead, and held out a hand. Several snowflakes landed in it almost immediately, and I examined them closely. They seemed real, but were oddly warm.

"Look at this!" Hiccup breathed. He was holding out his own hand, a collection of snowflakes growing on it already. "This is awesome! It's just like being outside, but you don't get cold!"

I nearly shot a handful of _real_ snow at him right there, but decided against it. It probably wouldn't be appreciated this early in the morning.

The normal house-separation rules didn't seem to apply today, so we ate at the Gryffindor table. A few minutes into breakfast, the usual swarm of owls arrived with the daily post. They swooped into the Hall, dropping letters in a shower of paper.

To my surprise, a piece of paper dropped down in front of _me_. I jumped, as the owl that had released it landed on the table as well. Hiccup yelped and nearly knocked over his glass. He tried to shoo it away, but the owl dodged his hands and stared at us stubbornly.

I looked back down at the piece of paper, and began picking at the string that was wrapped around it. As I worked at the knot, I couldn't help noticed that the letter seemed to be made from a paper bag. The string was odd, too. It was black and felt like those threads that come loose from your clothes.

Eventually I gave up on the knot and sawed the string in half with my knife. The brown paper unrolled, revealing smudged handwriting.

I squinted at the words, which were carefully printed in neat rows.

Wait. I knew that writing!

Rapunzel?

Beside me, Hiccup gasped. I held the paper up so we could both read it.

 _Dear Elsa. *being away From hogwarts is making me miss yOu aLL, though i hOpe you don't miss me too much. it Was hard To include cHristmas gifts for you, givEn my current situatiOn, but I WiLl make it up to you when we meet up again*. Kind regards and season's greetings, Rapunzel._

My heart was racing. Seeing her writing and hearing her voice in my head made me long to find Rapunzel more than ever. But the message was perplexing. She had been kidnapped and missing for months, and she sent us a Christmas greeting?

"What the hell is this?" Hiccup asked. "Why didn't she tell us where to find her? Are you sure that's her writing? And what's with the capitalisation?"

I had wondered about that. Rapunzel did make the odd spelling mistake, but this mixture of upper and lower case wasn't like her at all. I read over it again, tracing a finger over each word. Why were there two asterisks in the text? There was no note down the bottom. Unless... they signalled the start and the end of a message… the _real_ message…

"Follow the owl!" Hiccup and I said in unison. Despite it being the easiest code under the sun, we had a moment shared excitement before actually processing the words.

"Oh my gods, the owl!" Hiccup snatched the bird up from the table. "Thank Thor I didn't scare you away."

"Okay, we need to get it to the common room," I said, my mind racing through the logistics of a rescue mission. "And we'll wait for the others to come back before we try anything ourselves. Merida and Jack don't want to miss this, and we can't afford to go without them."

We raced up the stairs, heading for the Ravenclaw dormitories. Hiccup entered first, carrying the protesting owl. I hung back for a second, and looked out the staircase window. The mountains and trees seemed to stretch on forever; it had felt impossible that we would ever find my cousin in such a huge world before. But now we had hope. Nothing could stop me now.

"Rapunzel," I whispered, pressing the letter against my heart. "We're on our way."


	8. Who is that girl I see?

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 1, Chapter 8**

 **Rapunzel**

I stood anxiously beside the blackboard in the History of Magic classroom. Merida had been sent away, and now I was awaiting my own punishment. I hoped it was the same as Merida's. At least I wouldn't have to be alone.

The door slammed shut behind Merida, her footsteps fading into silence. The classroom suddenly seemed a lot darker.

"Rapunzel," Gothel said. Her voice was smooth, like ice. In the dim light, her skin seemed almost grey. She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Come with me. We will go to my office, and we will talk."

I followed obediently, though I did consider making a break for it. When we arrived at the office, I found it was even darker than the classroom. Gothel stood still, facing me, in the middle of the room. I began to ask if she would hurry up and give me the detention, when she pulled a wand from her robes and pointed it at the door I'd entered by, yelling "Colloportus!"

It had been slightly ajar, but now the door got sucked back into the frame with a dull click. My eyes widened, and I took a trembling step backwards. I stretched my hand out behind me and fumbled for the handle.

It didn't budge. I panicked, rattling the handle again. A cruel grin had begun to spread across Gothel's face. Before I could react, she reached out and seized my arm with her bony fingers.

I screamed, and reached for my wand with my other hand. Gothel slapped it out of my grip before I could even think of a spell to use. Without any magic to defend myself, I started kicking at her legs and trying to writhe out of her grip. I kept screaming, hoping that some passer-by would hear me.

"Shut up, you stupid girl!" Gothel hissed. She grabbed me by my shirt collar and sent me staggering across the room. Once her hands were free, she raised her wand and shouted a spell I'd never heard before.

"Incarcerus!"

I'd barely picked myself up when I was hit with a blast of magic that knocked the wind out of me. Rough coils of rope sprang out of the air and wrapped around my body, pinning back my arms, squeezing my lungs, and knotting around my ankles. I fell to the ground. The splintery wood floor broke the skin at several points down the left side of my body.

Gothel grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me to my feet. I struggled against the rope, but it was no use.

"Rapunzel Corona," Gothel spat. "Would like you to tell me what it is that makes your hair so... special."

"How do you know about my hair?" I said through my teeth. The grazes were starting to sting. I could feel blood trickling past my eye.

Gothel laughed. "Well, you haven't exactly kept it a secret, have you? Parading it around the quidditch pitch on your first flying lesson. The whole school could have seen it! Now _tell me about that hair_."

I pressed my lips together.

" _Tell me_!" She grabbed the section of rope that passed by my throat and twisted it tighter.

I gasped. "Okay! I… it's magic. It glows."

"I _know_ it glows," Gothel snarled. "But what else?"

Her grip on the rope wasn't loosening. I couldn't stall any longer.

"It has the power to heal," I blurted. "Cuts and scrapes, that kind of thing. I've fixed sprains too, even a broken bone once. Are you happy? Can I go now?"

Gothel's twisted smile returned. "Oh no, my dear, we're just getting started! How would I make this hair of yours work?"

I considered lying, telling her I didn't know, but decided against it. The best way out of this situation was to cooperate.

"You sing. There's an incantation. But I don't know what the words mean."

"You don't know what they mean," she said. "But you do know what they _are_?"

I nodded.

"Good," said Gothel. "Off you go, then. Sing the song."

I took a deep breath in, and let the ancient-sounding words fill the air.

" _Fulge, flos, et arde_

 _Niteat potestas_

 _Tempus retexe_

 _Redde mihi spes meas_

 _Sana vulnera_

 _Mutetur aetas_

 _Serva perdita_

 _Redde mihi spes meas_

 _Mihi spes meas._ "

I could feel the tingle of magic at my scalp, and soon golden light was spreading along the length of my hair. Gothel's eyes widened, and I could see the reflection of the glow in her pupils. She picked up a piece of hair, twisting it around in her fingers.

Then, as if it was red-hot, she dropped it.

She stared at her hand, turning it over and opening and closing it several times. Then she brought her fingers to her face, running them over the wrinkles around her eyes.

Except that wasn't right. The wrinkles were gone. Lady Gothel's face looked twenty years younger.

Wait. Did that mean...?

No.

That was impossible. My hair healed minor injuries, it didn't _reverse age_. Right?

Gothel ran her hands through my hair again. She rolled a lock of it around between her fingers, a look of greedy wonder in her eyes.

"Incredible!" she breathed. "It erases age! And here I am, thinking it's only as useful as a simple healing spell-"

She stopped speaking and dropped her hands to her sides, patting her pockets. She found what she was looking for, and took out a small pair of silver scissors.

My eyes widened. She had no idea what happened when my hair was cut! If I let her cut it all off, I'd be able to get away. Of course, I'd no longer be able to use it to heal people. But if I had to lose my hair to get out of this mess, I gladly would.

I stayed silent as Gothel took up a handful of my hair. She opened the scissors, the silver blades glinting in the dim light. They made a loud snip as they severed the fine strands.

Almost immediately, the piece in her hand began to turn brown, along with the part that was left attached to my head. Gothel gasped.

"No!"

She dropped the useless hair and threw down the scissors with a clatter. A billow of dust rose up from where they fell. Black dust, like ashes or sand. As it spread into the air, I got the most horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was like dread and fear and panic all mixed into one.

Gothel must have seen the look on my face, because she drew herself up to her full height, and pointed her wand at my throat. I gulped.

"Miss Corona," she said quietly. "Does all of your hair become useless when it's cut?

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Gothel's eyes narrowed.

"I suppose I'll have to resort to plan B," she said. She removed the wand from my throat and held it against my head, right between my eyes. She stared down at me, a smile twitching on her lips.

I held her gaze. No matter what was about to happen to me, I wanted to go down bravely and not in a sobbing heap.

Gothel opened her mouth. " _Stupefy_!"

There was a flash of searing red light, and then the world sunk into darkness.

. . .

Black blurred into grey, then to white.

A high-pitched ringing echoed through my head.

Everything hurt.

I blinked slowly, squinting in the sudden brightness. My head, despite it aching, was on something soft. A pillow?

Groaning, I sat up slowly. My eyes were still bleary, but I could see that I'd been lying on a bed. And the rest of the room…

I looked around, rubbing my temples. What was this place? It was rather bare, but clean and not too unpleasant. It was made of beige stone, and had three windows and a fireplace set into the curved walls. As for furniture, there was the bed I was sitting on, a small table with a bowl of old fruit on it, and a single chair.

Cutting out from the round shape of the room was a flat wall with a door in it. I stood up to investigate, and found a bathroom – consisting of a toilet and a basin – behind it. It was then that I began to get a sinking feeling. Technically, this place contained everything I needed to survive. I was intended to live here.

My brain went into escape mode. I checked the windows, which were barred, and when I looked out of them I realised I was at the top of a tower. Even if I could jump out, I'd fall and break my neck.

Okay, next option. The fireplace was just big enough to squeeze into, but the chimney above it was not. Pretty bad idea, anyway. Even if I'd somehow managed to climb up the chimney, I would have ended up on the roof with no way of getting down.

Well. It seemed I was at a dead end. I decided to check the bathroom, just in case.

I hadn't looked properly the first time. Along with the basin and toilet, there was a mirror and a small glazed window.

I caught sight of myself in the mirror, and took a step back. My face looked thinner, and older somehow. One side of it was bruised and grazed. My hair was different too, the chunk that Gothel cut off was chin length and dark. Curious to see what I would look like with brown hair, I parted the short piece in the middle and pulled one half across to the other side of my face.

I stared into the mirror. I looked... not quite like a different girl, but like a different version of me. The version I _would_ have been without that magic potion in my blood. And I liked it! Blonde hair had always looked slightly unnatural on me, since it was lighter than my skin. But now I realised that the dark hair matched my eyebrows too, and contrasted more with my green eyes. It was so _right_.

I straightened up. The lock of brown hair fell back to one side, leaving me blonde again. I sighed, then turned back to the door.

What now? I'd checked out every possible escape route, so there was nothing to do now except pass the time. But what could I _do_ here? Eating and sleeping were the obvious options, but I didn't want to run out of fruit, and I wasn't tired in the slightest.

I wrinkled my nose. If only I had my drawing things with me. Even without paper, I could at least draw on the empty stone walls.

Or... could the charcoal work on these walls?

A smile spread across my face. Using the fruit bowl, I poured some water from the bathroom over the fire. I found a piece of charcoal that wasn't too hot to touch, and stood up. Fingers crossed, I dragged the end of it against the blank wall. It left a beautiful, thick black streak across the stone.

I grinned, then decided to test its erasability by patting my hand over the top. It came off almost flawlessly, leaving only a faint mark. Now, finally, I had something to do.

I covered the walls in everything I could think of: curly vines with flowers blossoming out, animals of all shapes and sizes. I tried some poetry, written in decorative swirly letter. The likenesses of my family went up there – Mum, Dad, Elsa, and Anna – as well all my friends from school.

For the last of my portraits, I drew myself. I ducked back into the bathroom several times, studying my face carefully. I added my wide eyes, my faint freckles, and then began to trace out the outline of the braid that nearly reached my feet.

Then I stopped, standing back from the wall. I used my hand to get rid of the entire braid outline. Then, I sketched in dark, shoulder-length hair it its place. I made sure I shaded it perfectly, added lighter patches where light would reflect off it, and giving it a slight wave towards the end of the strands.

It was complete. I now had a whole crowd of people to accompany me during my imprisonment.

I put down the tiny piece of charcoal that remained - I had gone through about ten in all - and wiped my blackened hands on my robes. I suddenly remembered my wand, which I checked my pockets for, but it was nowhere to be found.

The day was drawing to an end, the light from the windows growing less and less. I had just picked up a rather soft apple for dinner when a sudden noise made me jump. I snapped my head around to see Gothel, who had apparated into the room. My hands clenched at my sides.

"Dear Rapunzel," she said. "Dreadfully sorry about this whole ordeal, but you were being _so_ difficult."

I didn't reply. Gothel glanced around, noting what I'd done to the walls. "Look at that, you've settled in already, you quaint little thing! Just as well; you will be here quite a while. But it won't be so bad once you're used to it."

From under her voluminous black cloak, she brought out a paper bag; the kind you get in a bakery. She put it on the table.

"A pie," she said. "Fruit might get boring after a while."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why did you bother bringing this? Is it poisoned?!"

Gothel laughed airily. "Why on earth would I try to poison you? Silly girl! No, we're keeping you in good condition. We're not sure if the hair will work as well if we don't."

"What do you mean, _we_?" I asked.

"That's none of your business." She gathered her cloak together, preparing to apparate again. "I'll be back in a few days. Maybe less, maybe more."

And with that, she disappeared.

I squinted at the place where she'd been, seeing odd swirls of something dark in the air. I dismissed it. Perhaps it was the low light playing tricks on me. I didn't care, anyhow. I had dinner to eat.

The pie, I was pleased to discover, was actually quite good and not even the slightest bit poisoned. I went to crumple up the paper bag it had come in, and then stopped myself. I had no idea how long I'd be here for, so it was probably a good idea to keep the paper in case I needed it at any point. I could use it to draw on, if I ran out of wall, or to start a fire if the current one burnt out.

I laid the paper on the table and flattened it out. It was the first of many paper bags.

After the first week or so, I lost count of the days. Although it would have been useful, I didn't want to put tally marks on the walls. That would have make it feel like a prison cell. I guess it _was_ , in a way, but I didn't need to be reminded. The regular nightmares and occasional meltdowns were enough.

Gothel visited every now and then, bringing food with her. Nothing else, though. I longed for something to distract me from the boredom – a book or a jigsaw puzzle would have worked wonders.

To my confusion, she hadn't tried anything with my hair yet, apart from that first time back at school. Perhaps she was waiting for someone else, like that mysterious 'we' she'd mentioned, to be ready for it. I honestly had no idea.

As the weather got colder, I realised that it would be Christmas soon, and Elsa's birthday even sooner. I missed her bitterly, along with my parents and Anna. I longed for my friends as well, and spent ages staring at everyone's faces on the wall. That included my face, too. I was entranced with this new Rapunzel, a girl who wasn't tied down or imprisoned with her cumbersome hair, but could fly away as free as a bird whenever she wanted.

I had spent countless hours trying to work out an escape plan, but all to no avail. The bars were too thick, the tower too high, the pipes in the plumbing were too small. I considered cutting off my hair, since without it, I would no longer be of use. But then reality struck, and I realised that I'd never be _freed_. I'd be killed instead.

Time kept passing. One day when I woke up, I saw that snow had started to drift through the bars in the windows. It was definitely December now. I was prepared to spend the day how I normally did, drawing, singing, trying to keep myself from insanity.

Then it happened.

I was sitting at the table, trying to make my apple last as long as possible, when I heard a small noise at the window.

I looked up – and almost had a heart attack. A little brown owl was sitting peacefully on the windowsill, turning its head to one side. I rubbed my eyes, making sure it was real.

It was.

Thank god.

My hands were shaking. This was a one-in-a-million chance. If I screwed it up… well, it could be a matter of life and death. I had to get it right.

I slowed my breathing. To attach a message, I had to lure it inside – what did our owls back home eat? Mice, mainly, but that wasn't an option here. But I had eaten meat last night, and there were still leftover crumbs of it on the tabletop. Hopefully the owl wouldn't mind.

Scooping the up crumbs, I tiptoed to the window. The owl shuffled on the ledge as I held out my hand. I squeezed my eyes shut. _Please don't fly away, please don't fly away_. I waited such a long time I felt sure the owl had flown off. But then, and I nearly squealed, I felt its little claws standing on my palm. _I had it in my hand!_

The bird picking at the meat with its beak. I watched it anxiously. Every time it moved, my heart gave a jolt. If it flew off now, I'd be kicking myself for the rest of my life. Holding my breath, I cupped my free hand over its wings. It jerked its head up, struggling in my grasp.

"Sorry, little one," I whispered. "But you're my only way out of here."

I manage to manoeuvre it around so that I had it in one hand. In the other, I picked up a stick of charcoal and some brown paper. Now, where could I put the owl while I worked out what to do? Of course! I hurried into the bathroom, dropping my writing materials on the floor and kicking the door shut behind me. There was nowhere for the owl to go, so I released and ducked as it flew from wall to wall.

I dropped to the floor, picking up the charcoal and straightening the paper. I scanned my brain for ideas. I couldn't very well write "I'm stuck in a tower, please help me" on it - what if Gothel and her friends found it somehow? So I settled for a good old 'just read the capital letters' code.

I planned out the message on the floor first. The true message had to be hidden within another, and couldn't be too long, so it took me a minute to think of. I settled on "Follow the owl" which was not only nice and short, but not too specific if intercepted.

That meant I'd have to train the owl to wait for them, and to lead them back to me. So, I figured the best way to do that was to make it associate me with nice things to give it an incentive. I did it somehow. I was good with animals, but my magic must have given me helping hand too.

Anyway, I had the final copy of the letter ready, checked and double checked to make sure the code worked. After a second of deliberation, I ripped a few loose threads off the end of my robes to tie the note to the owl. I did so gently, trying to tie the note tight enough to stay on, but loose enough that the owl would be comfortable.

When I had it completed, I took the owl back out into the main room of the tower and stood next to the window. I placed it down on the sill, but apparently I'd been such a good friend to it that it didn't want to leave. I gave it a prod.

"Go on," I said. "I'm counting on you. Go to Hogwarts and bring back my friends."

It finally took off from the window, and I watched it soaring away until it disappeared. I let out a breath. Freedom could be just around the corner.


	9. You can fly

**Jack**

I stepped off train, smiling at the sight of my little sister running across the snowy pavement.

"Jack!"

"Emma!"

She ran into me at top speed, sending me staggering backwards. She wrapped her arms around my waist, squeezing as if she would never let go. Thank heavens Merida wasn't seeing this. She'd never let me hear the end of it.

"I missed you so much!" Emma murmured into my robes. "I wish I could go back to school with you after Christmas!"

"Yeah, I know," I said, ruffling her hair.

I felt another presence beside us - my dad had walked over to our side.

He crouched down to talk to Emma. "You know, three years isn't such a long time, is it? And it's not really even three anymore - it's closer to two and a half."

Emma pulled away, grinning. "I guess so... It still isn't going fast enough, though." She looked back up at me. "Do you have all your stuff? We need to get home as soon as possible so we can play!"

"Yeah, I've got my bag," I said. I'd only brought a small one, and left my main trunk back at school.

"Good! Dad, let's go!"

"Okay, Em, calm down." My dad was smiling. "Hold on to me tight, you two. We're apparating straight there. Emma, do you want to count?"

My sister nodded. "On three! One... Two... THREE!"

I clung tightly to both my bag and my father's arm as we all disappeared from the station. For a split second, we were nowhere, caught between two locations. But then we arrived, our feet slamming into the tiled floor of our kitchen.

I heard a shriek. It was Mum, who had been in the kitchen just as we landed. She rested a hand on the bench and wiped her forehead.

"PLEASE don't ever do that again," she said, trying to even out her breathing. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Emma laughed. "Sorry, Mummy!"

Mum cracked a grin, and then turned to me.

"So! How's Hogwarts? You aren't much of a letter writer, you know!"

"Hey, I wrote letters!" I said. "I wrote ten, at least."

"You wrote eight," said Emma. "I counted. AND I can prove it because I kept them all in a stack above the fireplace."

I looked at our fireplace. Yep, there was a bunch of envelopes there, all neatly tied with string.

"So..." said Dad. "What did you get up to?"

"Well, first up I got sorted into Slytherin," I said. "I'm hungry, is there anything to eat?"

Mum sighed. "Just hold on, Jack. We want to hear about school. Do you like it in Slytherin?"

"Yeah, it's cool," I said. "I've got a few friends."

"And they are called...?"

"Well there's Naveen and Flynn in Slytherin with me - they're second years." My parents nodded. "And then there's Elsa, Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida in first year. They're in the other three houses."

I continued talking to my family about my friends, even filling them in on Rapunzel's disappearance.

I thought about her over Christmas, wondering whether she remembered what time of year it was and whether she was feeling particularly lonely. I knew I would be. I had never spent a Christmas without my family, and I was even more glad of these holidays after spending several months away from home.

I didn't want to go back to school, though I did want to see my friends again. Emma nearly cried as we parted at the station, the same one she'd raced up to when I'd first come back.

"I'll see you!" I said from the train window. "I swear I'll write more letters, too!"

"Bye, Jack!"

Emma waved goodbye with one hand, clutching our mum with the other. Mum herself was getting all emotional again, dabbing at her eyes with a hanky.

"Be good for your teachers!" she called. "I hope you find that missing girl!"

By that point, the two were far out of earshot, but I whispered a reply to myself anyway. "I hope so, too."

The journey back was pretty tedious. I had no one to talk to, nothing really to do, and nothing fun to think about. The only upside of the trip was the scenery. The Hogwarts express rattled past beautifully pristine fields covered with snow, and I could see mountains in the distances that were also dusted with white.

I kept the window open, since I wasn't really affected by cold weather, and made a few frost patterns on the seats by simply touching my finger to them.

Elsa could do that too, I remembered. Elsa. She was so infuriating with her perfect grades and reading habits. She never had any real _fun_ , even though she insisted that books were fun to her. Yeah, right. Books were just words.

Still, there was something about her that... I don't know, intrigued me, maybe. She always seemed so alone, and yet was perfectly content. That and the ice powers that were nearly the same as mine...

I dropped those thoughts as I felt the train slowing. The sun had already set now, and the grey winter sky was nearly completely dark.

By the time we got to the castle, it must have been at least nine o'clock. I made my way up to my dormitory, wanting only to collapse into bed and not do anything until morning.

Yeah. No.

I had just gotten into my night things when I heard a noise at the door. It sounded like... frost? It _was_ \- the sound was unmistakeable to me.

No one else in the room had heard it, probably because they weren't used to hearing frost noises whenever they got upset or angry. But I was, and I knew for a fact that the ice shouldn't have been happening now. I wasn't in a bad mood; quite the opposite actually. So if it wasn't me making the ice, who...?

 _Elsa_.

I slipped over to the door, turning the handle.

"What are you doing, Overland?" complained Snotlout. "Actually, it doesn't matter. Just hurry up."

I ignored him, peering out into the corridor. At first I couldn't see anything, but as my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could make out a boy wearing Slytherin robes and a pointed hat. That was weird. No one ever wore those hats.

The boy beckoned to me with one hand and hissed in a surprisingly high-pitched voice.

"Hurry up, Jack. We're all meeting in the second-floor storeroom. We have news about Rapunzel."

Rapunzel? How the hell did this random boy know about-?

 _Oh_. Right.

I followed the "boy" down the passageway, into the empty common room and up multiple flights of stairs. Only when we'd reached a small door marked "storage" did the student take off their hat.

Just as I thought. A bright blonde braid swung down from underneath it, and the shadows were pulled away to reveal two blue eyes staring at me exasperatedly.

"Come _on_." Elsa pushed open the storeroom door, and walked inside. I followed, unsurprised to see Hiccup and Merida waiting there already in flickering candlelight.

"You took your bloody time," hissed Merida. "Hiccup wouldn't tell me _anything_."

Elsa took off the Slytherin robes, a pale blue nightdress underneath them. She folded them, then threw them into a darkened corner of the tiny room.

"Okay then," she said. "Here's the thing: Rapunzel sent us a note by owl on Christmas Day. It looked like an ordinary letter, but basically there was a second _real_ one in code that said 'follow the owl'."

"What owl?" Merida asked.

"The one that delivered the note!" said Hiccup. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"I wasn't actually there at the time, you know."

"Just shut up, you two," I said. "Where's the owl now?"

"We found a spare cage," said Elsa. "It's in my dorm."

"Nobody questioned why you would suddenly have an extra pet that came out of nowhere?" asked Merida skeptically.

"Ravenclaws leave each other alone most of the time," said Elsa vaguely. "So anyway. We just have to follow the owl, and then get Rapunzel back."

"You're making it sound so simple," said Merida. "But it won't be. First we have to work out HOW to follow the owl-"

"We'll fly!" I said. "On broomsticks, I mean."

Elsa nodded. "Exactly."

"Alright, then." Merida sniffed. "How are we going to _get_ these brooms?"

"Steal them," I said, shrugging. "Shouldn't be too hard, and we know where they're kept."

Merida but her lip, clearly wondering whether such behaviour was correct for a noble Gryffindor. Finally, she nodded.

"Okay, then. What next?"

"Follow the owl, find Rapunzel, and leave."

"What if there's someone guarding her or something?" asked Hiccup.

"We'll deal with it if it happens," said Elsa. "Now let's get some sleep. We leave at five in the morning tomorrow. Jack, you'll get the brooms, and make sure you get _five_ , and then we can meet up at the edge of the forbidden forest. Is everyone good with that?"

We all nodded. Finally, we were going to find our friend.

I slept lightly that night, and woke up a good half-hour before five. I got changed quickly, customising my uniform so that I would be as undetectable as possible. I left off my robe, and then took off my tie as well. They would just slow me down while I was flying. I remembered to tuck my wand into my pocket as well; I never knew when I'd need it.

I got the brooms just fine, taking five of them out of the cupboard. I had a minor heart attack while walking back down the ground floor when I walked past one of those stupid talking paintings.

"Where ya goin', sonny?"

I clapped my free hand over my own mouth. When I turned, I saw that the voice had come from the portrait of a woman, dressed in a brown dress and ragged apron, and surrounded by headless fish. Whoever had overseen the interior design for Hogwarts certainly had unique taste.

I released my mouth and breathed out, glaring at the picture.

"None of your business, fish lady," I said in a low voice. "Just don't say anything to anyone. _Promise_ you won't say a word."

"What makes you think I'll promise?" she said. "What if I was to tell someone... the headmaster, perhaps?"

"By all means," I said. "As long as you wait until... five thirty, say. Then you can tell anyone you want."

"Because you'll be long gone by then?" she asked. "I see. And apparently you're not too worried about the headmaster, either."

"Nope." I started walking down the corridor again, but was stopped short as the portrait spoke again.

"What about a different teacher... that Gothel woman, for example."

My heart skipped a beat, and I turned around and spoke in what I hoped was a light voice. "Nope. I don't care if she knows."

The lady narrowed her eyes. Oh no. Had she figured it out? Did I just give the game away? But she smiled sweetly at me and said "Alright. It seems like nothing will bother you, then. I'll see you, Mr Overland."

I scurried away from her, at first wondering how a _painting_ knew my name, but dismissed it. I had to get down to the forest.

Everyone else had already arrived when I got there. Merida and Hiccup had scarves and jumpers piled all over them, which made me realise that _yeah_ , _it was the middle of winter at five in the morning_. _They were probably pretty cold_. Elsa, like me, hadn't needed anything and instead was just wearing the school shirt and... trousers? Since when was that an option for girls?

She saw me staring and flicked my shoulder. "They're easier to fly in than a skirt. Now stop looking, it's kind of unsettling."

Well, thanks for making it weird, Elsa. I looked away quickly, and passed out the brooms instead.

"I'll carry the extra one since I'm the best flier," I said. It was _meant_ to be a helpful comment, but of course Merida took offence.

"Oh, really!" she said. "Last time I checked, I was far better at flying than you."

Hiccup and Elsa rolled their eyes at nearly exactly the same time.

"You're both as good as each other," said Hiccup. "Now just hurry up."

"Aha! See?" Merida's voice was triumphant. "If we're as good as each other, that technically means I'm better, since this is my first year of flying _ever_ and Jack's been flying for years."

"Well-"

" _I'll_ take the extra one."

"Fine!" I said, handing it over.

"Are you two done?" asked Hiccup.

"Yes! Now let's go!" Merida picked the owl cage up from off the ground. We all mounted our brooms, and then Merida opened the cage door.

The owl flew out, and then we were off!

It was a bit hard at first, but once we had all caught up to the owl, it was pretty easy to just keep the same speed. The night sky was still completely dark, and soon we were flying almost blind through low cloud.

It was damp, which was uncomfortable, but at least the cold wasn't affecting me. Merida and Hiccup, however, looked terrible. Their noses were turning red, and their eyes were watering.

We flew on quietly for a good half hour. It was only then that I realised that we had no idea how far away Rapunzel was being held captive. What if this journey took the whole day? What if it took more than one day? What if they'd taken Rapunzel _overseas_?

I decided not to say anything to anyone else, but worried about it to myself. Had any of us even brought any food?

Before I could scare myself too much, Hiccup broke the silence.

"So... what should we talk about? We've got a long way to go, most likely."

"If Rapunzel was here, she'd tell us we should all say one thing about ourselves that nobody else here knows," Merida said.

"Let's do that, then," I said. I remembered when she'd made us all introduce ourselves on the train. That was such a long time ago now.

"I'll go first," said Merida. "My dad was attacked by a bear when I was six."

"What?!" The three of us cried in perfect unison.

"Was he okay?" asked Hiccup, perturbed.

"Oh, yeah," Merida said. "He lost some of his leg, but he's fine now. You wouldn't know."

"Huh." I looked down at the misty ground below me, trying to think of something I could share.

Everyone else was evidently trying to think as well.

"I don't know," said Elsa. "Maybe - oh!"

She cut herself off, and it took me only a split second to figure out why. The owl had changed its course, and was beginning to drop downwards. We re-angled our brooms to keep up with the bird, and began flying in silence again.

Eventually, we levelled out below the clouds over a forest. A few more minutes, and I could see a clearing in the trees up ahead. So that's where we were going.

We got closer and closer to the clearing, and soon I caught sight of a small brown building in the middle of it. Strangely enough, the roof was level with the tree canopy. That either meant that the trees were as short as a building, or...

Rapunzel was being kept in a tower.

It made a lot of sense, actually. With a normal building, a prisoner could escape by jumping out a window, but in a tower it was just a way to certain death. I wondered if Rapunzel was scared of heights. That would really suck for her if she was.

The owl finally landed, dropping down on the roof of the tower. It didn't look as if it intended to move anymore, so I assumed that we were just supposed to get into the tower.

"Should we go in?" called Hiccup.

"Yes! Come on!" Merida took off towards the building, the rest of us following closely. As we got near the window, we encountered our first problem. The windows were barred.

"Damn it," I muttered. That was really kind of unnecessary, since Hiccup got one of the windows open in the next two seconds.

" _Alohomora_!"

Bam. No more bars.

It was kind of hard to get off our broomsticks and into the tower through a window, but we managed it eventually. I dusted myself off and looked around the dark room for Rapunzel. I made out the shape of a bed against one wall, with the figure of a person under the covers.

Elsa crept forward to the bed, trying to see if the person was indeed Rapunzel. She gave us a thumbs up, and began to shake her cousin awake.

"Rapunzel! Wake up! We need to go!"

A small groan of protest came from under the covers. Then, all of a sudden, Rapunzel woke up completely. She sat bolt upright, eyes gleaming in the early morning darkness.

"You came!" she breathed. "The letter worked!"

Elsa began to ask questions about exactly what had happened to Rapunzel over the course of however long she'd been gone for. I tried to keep up and listen, but eventually I tuned out. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness a bit more, and I could see that Rapunzel had made the tower a little more artistic over her stay here. Scattered around the walls were pictures of people; such realistic people that I felt sure they must have been her family or something. Then, my eye caught on a whole crowd of similarly dressed figures - Hogwarts students. I quickly found myself among them, along with Elsa, Merida, Hiccup, and...

Rapunzel, for some reason, had drawn herself with shoulder-length brown hair instead of the enormous blonde braid that she actually had. I remembered that her hair turned brown when it was cut, and quickly glanced back at her to check if it had all been cut off.

No, although there was a fair-sized chunk at one side of her face that had been. Rapunzel was still talking to Elsa, but I interrupted to ask her about it.

"What happened to your hair?" I said.

Rapunzel's hand flew to the brown strand. "Oh! Gothel cut it before we left Hogwarts. I think she was hoping to take just a bit of it with her, but of course it loses its power when you cut it, so she had to kidnap me instead.

"Oh." I looked back at the picture on the wall. "So then why did you draw yourself with brown hair?"

Rapunzel reddened slightly. "I-I just thought I'd look better with brown hair. It's selfish of me, I know, but-"

"How is it selfish?" asked Merida.

"Well, I mean, if I cut my hair it would mean I wouldn't be able to heal anyone anymore. Cutting my hair would be getting rid of something that's useful to people."

"Actually-"

"Guys," I said quickly. "I don't mean to interrupt, but could we maybe leave now?"

"What's the rush?" asked Hiccup suspiciously. For goodness' sake, did he have to suspect everything I did was evil _just_ because I was in Slytherin?

"I just thought- well, Gothel could be back at any minute, right?"

The actual reason I was trying to hurry everyone was because I was thinking more about the fish woman in the painting. I was more awake now than I had been when I'd talked to her, and I was starting to worry whether she was actually going to keep quiet about what she'd seen.

"Actually, Gothel only visits at around dinner time," said Rapunzel. "She wouldn't come back now. You're right though, let's get out of here. I don't think I want to spend another minute in the tower."

"Of course!" said Elsa quickly. "We brought you an extra broomstick."

Rapunzel cringed. "I can't really fly that well."

"You're going to have to try," replied Merida. "Because-"

Merida never finished that sentence.

Because at that moment, with absolutely no warning whatsoever, Gothel appeared.

The painting had told her.

We were all going to die.

Rapunzel yelped, scrambling away from her captor.

"Rapunzel!" cried the History of Magic teacher. "I see you've got yourself some company!"

Rapunzel gulped audibly.

Gothel laughed. "Why so scared, my dear girl? Are you afraid something might happen to one of your precious friends? Something like..."

She whipped out her wand, and before anyone could react, shouted "Flipendo!"

An ear-splitting yell echoed around the tower, and I flinched back as Gothel's jinx hit Merida full-on. Her body hit the wall with a sickening thud, and Merida lay motionless on the ground.

Oh my-

Was she...?

I wrenched my eyes away from Merida, and instead turned my attention back to Gothel. She smirked at our horrified faces.

I took in a deep breath. Gothel was not playing around. She wouldn't hesitate to kill us. I had to do something.

 _Now_.

I grabbed my wand from my pocket and scanned my brain for useful spells, and yelled out the first one that came into my head.

"Fumos!"

Instantly, a cloud of yellowish smoke appeared at the end of my wand, filling the small room with haze. I mentally slapped myself. A smokescreen spell could be useful when it would block your attacker's vision, but at the moment it was going to affect us just as much as it did her.

Gothel laughed. "Careful with your random spells there, Mister Overland! What terror will you be unleashing next? The horrifying bird-launching spell?"

I gulped, racking my brains for something that would actually work. Unfortunately, that gave Gothel a chance to pick off someone else.

She chose Hiccup.

"Confundo!"

He stumbled backwards onto the ground, but I didn't keep my eyes on him for long. We had to get out of here, and to do that, we needed someone in charge. And which house could take charge best?

Slytherin.

I took a breath, and then fired off a knockback jinx. I wasn't as experienced as Gothel, but my spell was still enough to knock her to the floor.

What else could I use? The curriculum hadn't taught me anything useful. But of course, there were always those few students who studied outside of class. _Like Elsa_.

"Elsa, do something!" I yelled, as Gothel scrambled to get up. Elsa glanced at me, eyes wide, and pointed her wand at the History of Magic teacher.

"Levicorpus! Incarcerus!"

Before I could so much as blink, Gothel was suspended in midair, upside down, and bound by ropes.

I gasped. Elsa was unrelenting, firing off spells at such a rapid rate that it was hard to believe she hadn't been professionally trained at this. Gothel quickly realised that this was no ordinary first year, and stepped up her game.

The two fought, dodging and blocking, for a good two minutes, until Elsa fell to the ground. Gothel wasted no time in attacking the rest of us.

For a while, it looked as if we'd never come close to beating her. I was bruised all over and even bleeding as I noticed that black sand was swirling in the corners of the room. I shuddered. I hoped it was just me, but it _looked_ a lot like...

Gothel was controlling it.

Someone shrieked - I couldn't tell who - and I watched in horror as Gothel raised huge, churning pillars of the stuff. I noticed that she had dropped her wand. She intended to destroy us with this.

She stretched out her hand, and a stream of sand shot out under her control. It smacked into Rapunzel, encircling her and lifting her into the air. Understandably, she screamed.

Gothel snarled.

"Rapunzel!" she growled. "I will give you a choice. You can surrender now, and leave your friends unharmed, or I will kill all of you right where you stand."

Damn it! Rapunzel would easily sacrifice herself to save us.

"Don't do it!" I yelled, at the same time Hiccup shouted "Don't! We'll fight her!"

Rapunzel looked over at us weakly. She looked awful, which was probably because of the dark sand wrapped around her. Her face was sickly pale grey, and her eyes were dull.

I heard a noise beside me. It was Merida, who had apparently emerged from another room in the tower. She was holding a... mirror?

With a yell, she threw it to the ground, where it shattered with a huge clatter. Gothel whipped her head around. I took the opportunity to hurl one of the larger shards straight at the pile of sand holding up Rapunzel. It collapsed on impact, and Rapunzel's body hit the ground. I saw Elsa run over to her with a piece of mirror, and then heard Gothel shriek. Elsa was sawing off Rapunzel's hair. It made sense. The only reason Gothel wanted Rapunzel was because of the magic in her hair.

Gothel snatched her wand up again, a cloud of black sand gathering menacingly at her feet. She opened her mouth, a cruel expression on her face.

I don't know how, but at that moment I could tell she was about to use an unforgivable curse. The killing curse.

Without thinking, I picked up the biggest shard of mirror there was. I hurled it directly at Gothel.

It hit her.

It _sliced into_ her.

 _She fell to the ground_.

No one said a word for a good thirty seconds.

 _You just killed someone._

I swiped a hand across my eyes, my heart still jumping from shock.

"Are you okay?" asked Merida, her voice hoarse as she broke the silence.

"Um, yeah," I said. To my annoyance, my voice was shaky and scared. I guess I had a good reason.

 _Jackson Overland, you just killed a person_.

Merida scanned the room, pushing her now-grimy hair back with one hand. "Is everyone else okay?"

 _You just murdered a human being_.

Elsa stood up shakily. Her pale hair was stained with a patch of dark crimson, a trail of blood dripping down her forehead from the wound.

 _There is one less person on the planet because of you_.

"I'm fine," she said. Her hands were still clenched around fistfuls of brown hair. She dropped the strands to the ground, and looked at Rapunzel.

 _You ended a life_.

She was unconscious, her new short hair spread over her face. I could see her breathing, though, so I wasn't too worried.

"Her hair!" exclaimed Merida.

Elsa coughed. "Yeah. I think..."

"What?" Merida asked.

"When I cut it off, it... I don't know. It did something to her."

"Well, she lost a whole heap of power that she's had her whole life," Merida said. "It makes sense."

"Yeah." Elsa swiped at the trickle of blood that was still on her face. "Should we get going?"

Merida nodded. "Definitely. What about Rapunzel...?"

"Can we carry her?" Elsa asked.

"I can," said Merida.

She and Elsa picked up a broom each. Merida also lifted Rapunzel up, with surprisingly little effort. Elsa took up our extra fifth broom, and looked back at me.

"Are you coming?" she asked, seemingly trying to avoid eye contact.

I nodded.

"What is it?" she asked warily.

I swallowed. "I-I just... Elsa, I _killed_ someone!"

She shifted the spare broom around in her hands. "Uh... yeah. You did. Thanks, I guess."

I looked at the ground. I walked over to a broom, picked it up and took a deep breath in.

 _You're the Slytherin. It's time to take charge_.

I raised my head, and spoke in a much stronger voice. "Okay, is everyone good to go?"

Elsa glanced at Hiccup. I squinted at him a bit closer as well. By the looks of things, he hadn't recovered well from the confundus that had hit him earlier on. He blinked, and gave an absent nod of his head.

I passed him a broom, which he mounted automatically. I got ready to take off as well, and checked that the girls were all set.

The flight back seemed to take an eternity. I really wished someone would say something, because being left alone to your own thoughts when you've just murdered someone is not the most comfortable situation to be in.

I glanced around at the five of us. We all looked kind of worse for wear, covered in scrapes and bruises and the like. Elsa's head wound was still bleeding, and I could see her attempting to stop it with her sleeve. Merida seemed alright on the whole, but was beginning to struggle with carrying Rapunzel.

Speaking of Rapunzel, she didn't look as if she was going to wake up soon at all. She was paler than I remembered, too. That was kind of worrying.

The scariest person to watch was Hiccup, who was staring into middle distance with glassy eyes. I wasn't sure if he was even conscious, but I decided I wouldn't say anything. I had enough thoughts of my own inside my head.

Finally, _finally_ , we neared the Hogwarts castle. I nearly fell off my broomstick with relief. Everything hurt a lot more now that the initial shock was over, and I was even having trouble seeing through all the clothes dancing in my vision.

We touched down on the edge of the forbidden forest. I nearly fell flat on my face when I stepped off, but caught myself just in time. I felt awful, and I could tell that everyone else did too.

As we trudged back across the grounds, I began to check myself for injuries. I must have been too busy trying to hang onto the broom as I flew to do it before.

Turned out I had a horrible scrape all the way along my leg, a strangely patterned bruise on my torso (probably where I'd been hit by some spell), and on top of that, a pounding headache. I looked at Elsa, who was limping slightly. Her hair was kind of tinged sickly pink where the blood had mixed into it, and she still had smears of crimson all down her face.

I yanked open the door to the entrance hall, and led the other four up the first flight of stairs.

"What should we do now?" I asked, surprising myself with how calm I sounded.

"Can we go to the hospital wing?" Elsa said quickly. Her voice was trembling, and when I looked at her, she seemed close to tears. I guess her head hurt more than she'd let on.

I started to agree, but Merida jumped in.

"Wait! First I want to go and visit North," she said firmly. "He was being a right git about Rapunzel disappearing, and I want to make a point."

A sudden wave of light-headedness washed over me, and I clutched at the wall beside me.

"Uh... sure, we'll visit him," I said. With a sigh, I turned around, and we made our way to the headmaster's office.

We arrived without running into a single person. Everyone was I class, I guess. Merida must have realised how battered we all looked, because she broke into peals of laughter as she knocked on the Head's door. She was still carrying Rapunzel; which I don't think I would have been able to do this whole time.

The door creaked open, just as I got another lightheaded moment. North's friendly smile quickly dropped from his face as he surveyed the five of us.

"What have you five been doing?!" he asked.

I laughed weakly, holding the doorframe to support myself.

"It's kind of a long story."

Then all at once, I heard a rush of blood inside my head, roaring in my ears. Black blotches filled my vision, growing and joining together until they blotted out the world.

* * *

 **AN:** Thank you everyone for reading! Please review, because with every review comes the energy and incentive to write another few paragraphs.

Review replies:

anon (Guest): Thank you, and we definitely plan to continue all the way!

The Potato Wizard: Thank thee, o great Potato Wizard. Thou art very kind to give us praise.


	10. I only want your hand to hold

**Hiccup**

My head hurt.

Actually, come to think of it, everything hurt.

Why did everything hurt? What had happened? Why was everything so dark?

Well, for one thing, my eyes were closed. That might have had something to do with it. I opened them a sliver, noticing how dry and bleary they were. I felt tired, too. Why was I tired? I had just been lying on a bed, asleep.

I opened my eyes a bit more, trying to focus on my surroundings.

An arched stone ceiling was above me, shadowy and dim in what I assumed was evening light. A quick glance toward a row of windows confirmed this; the sun had set and the sky was greyish dark blue.

As I took in more of the room, I realised that I was in the school hospital wing.

Of course.

The tower.

Gothel.

That confundus had really done some damage.

I didn't even know how long it had been since we flew off to find Rapunzel. It could have been weeks. Maybe a month!

I scanned the rows of beds for any of my friends, but the only other person in the wing was someone about my size in the bed next to me.

It was probably a girl, though I couldn't really tell, as she was facing away from me. I didn't think I knew any girls who had the shortish brown hair that she had, and I decided to get out of bed to see who it was.

I cringed as I set my feet down on the floor. Everything ached all over my body, but I kept standing up anyway. I had a brief lightheaded moment as I finally stood up, and the crossed to the other side of the bed to see who the girl was.

It was Rapunzel, of course. I really should have known, shouldn't I? Her hair, which would have brushed her shoulders had she been upright, was spread over the pillow in a brown mess. Her face was pale, and I could see a few grazes on her skin.

That made me suddenly remember that I had been in that tower too. What injuries had I managed to come away with? I looked around for a mirror, seeing one down the very end of the long room. I reached it eventually, and took a good look at myself post-wizard-duel.

I was paler than normal too, and had a few cuts and scrapes here and there. The only really impressive one was a fairly deep cut on my chin, something that looked like it would probably scar.

I frowned. Surely I'd sustained something slightly more spectacular than that. I pushed up the sleeves of the hospital-issue pyjamas, finding nothing more than a few bruises. The same went for my legs.

How dismal. I had nothing to show off whatsoever.

I let the pyjamas drop back into place, and returned to my bed. I noticed for the first time that there was a glass of water beside it, which I drained instantly, then wished I hadn't. I had no idea how long it would be until someone came, and drinking water would at least give me SOMETHING to do.

I shouldn't have worried, because as I settled back into the pillows, the doors down the opposite end to the mirror flew open. Voices quickly filled the silent hospital room, and I smiled as I recognised them.

"Do you think they're awake yet?"

That was Merida.

Another person, a teacher I'd never met before, answered.

"I doubt Miss Corona will be up. Losing all of her power like that - all in one moment... I'm not really sure how long it'll take her body to pull everything together again. The boy, on the other hand-"

"He's awake!" Elsa cut through the teacher. She ran down the gap between the rows of beds and stopped in front of mine. Her smile was infectious, and I found myself grinning widely.

"When did you wake up?" she asked.

"Couple of minutes ago." I shrugged.

I looked up at the teacher who had been speaking before. She must have only been in her twenties, but she had choppy white hair. Her skin was tanned, and she wore pale blue robes. She must have been in charge of the hospital.

The teacher smiled at me. "I don't believe we've met before, Mr Haddock. I'm Kida Nedakh, matron."

She offered a hand to shake, which I took.

"How do you feel?" she asked, kneeling beside the bed. "You were out for a good five days. I hope you've stayed put for the time you were awake."

Oops.

"Oh, yeah, of course," I said. I'm a terrible liar.

Kida rolled her eyes. "Your friend here did the same." She pointed at Jack. "He practically sprung out of bed the moment he opened his eyes."

Jack smirked, which earned him a smack on the shoulder from Merida.

"I'll have you know that Elsa and I were never unconscious to begin with," she said. "So there's really nothing to gloat about."

Jack sniffed. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you throw the chunk of mirror that killed Gothel?"

"Did you carry someone your own weight while flying on a broomstick for half an hour?"

"Did you hold out in a duel against an experienced dark magic user more than quadruple your age?"

"Oh, be quiet, you three," Kida said. I had a feeling she'd dealt with a lot of this already. "Mr Haddock, I'll have to ask you to stay in hospital overnight, but you should be able to return to classes as normal tomorrow. You're doing pretty well, and nothing is dreadfully wrong."

"Thanks," I said. "And by the way, what happened to Rapunzel's hair? Why did you cut it?"

"Because that's the only reason Gothel wanted her," Elsa replied. She scratched the back of her head. "I was the one who cut it - I used the bits of mirror - but after I did, she wouldn't wake up. Losing all the magic from it did something to her."

Elsa flushed red. "I really didn't mean to, though."

"Of course not!" said Merida. "I _told_ you it wasn't your fault."

Elsa shrugged, unconvinced. After a moment of silence, Kida turned to my friends.

"I hate to be a spoilsport, but I believe it is high time for you to get to bed. I did tell you that your visit would only be very brief. Say your goodbyes, and then go back to your dormitories."

"But _miss_ -"

"That's enough, Mr Overland. You may visit your friend tomorrow. Now _go_."

Jack reluctantly made his way up the aisle between the beds, Merida and Elsa lagging behind him. The door shut, the noise echoing around the room.

"I'll bring you some dinner," said Kida, "and then you need to get to bed as well."

I nodded.

The food I was given was okay, though there wasn't much of it. ("You haven't eaten for nearly a week; I don't want you heaving it all back up again.") I was given a glass of water to wash it down, and then told to go to sleep.

The hospital wing was dark as I lay, trying to drift off. The sky outside the long windows had settled at a deep blue, speckled with the occasional star. After a long enough time had passed that I'd begun to wonder what the time was, I knew there was no way I was going to get to sleep quickly. My mind was still racing from what I'd had to process in one very short evening, which included losing five entire days of my life.

I sighed, turning onto my other side. Now I was facing Rapunzel, whose body rose and fell steadily. Now that I'd had time to think, I realised that I remembered worryingly little about the whole tower incident. I didn't remember what happened to Rapunzel's hair, I couldn't remember Elsa duelling with Gothel, or Jack supposedly killing her.

A sudden noise interrupted my thoughts, and my eyes quickly pulled back into focus. Had that been...?

Rapunzel!

She had let in a faint gasp, which was certainly a change from steady breathing. I hoped that meant she was waking up.

Rapunzel stirred again, this time shifting under the covers. I sat up on the edge of my mattress and looked at her carefully. She opened her eyes slowly, and looked around dazedly.

She caught sight of me looking at her. Her eyes were still unfocused and confused, but she raised her head and opened her mouth to speak.

"Hiccup...?" she croaked, rubbing an eye. "What... where...?"

She trailed off. Her head jerked as she gave a small cough, and then dropped back onto her pillow. I sat forward on the bed, looking at her worriedly.

She opened her eyes again, this time much more alert. She gave me a faint smile, and propped herself up on her elbows.

"How long has it been?" she asked.

"They said five days," I replied.

"They?"

"The others. I only woke up this evening."

Rapunzel sighed, letting herself flop back onto the bed. I smiled, seeing her newly short hair scattered over the pillow. Rapunzel saw me grinning, and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Your hair."

Apparently, she hadn't thought to look at her hair yet, and quickly raised a hand to it. She gave a shriek, making me jump.

"Oh my gosh!" Her shocked expression had melted away into a happy one.

"It's so..." She dragged a hand through the brown strands. "It's brilliant!"

I smiled. "It's not even that jagged, considering Elsa cut it with a piece of mirror."

Rapunzel laughed. "Really? When?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, I was still under the confundus. She told me after I woke up."

A tired smile stretched across Rapunzel's face as she nodded. Then she gasped. "Oh my gosh, I just realised! We kind of look like brother and sister!"

"What?!"

"You know. We both have green eyes and now brown hair."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I'm tired. What time is it, midnight? Do you mind if I go to sleep?"

"Oh, of course not."

"Okay then. Goodnight."

Rapunzel pulled the blankets up to her chin and shut her eyes. I lay back down myself, but stared up at the ceiling. You know when someone says something that wasn't supposed to be that important, but you end up thinking about it for ages afterwards? That was happening to me; I was still thinking about what Rapunzel had said about us looking like siblings.

I had always wanted a brother or sister, older or younger, from a very early age. I even remembered asking my dad how I could get one when I was about five or so. I didn't realise you generally needed a mother to produce a sibling, and that was something I'd never had.

I managed to fall asleep eventually, though I was still thinking about a brother or sister as I did so. I don't know why I was obsessing over it so much, but it may have had something to do with the late hour and the fact that I was still technically recovering from unconsciousness. Either way, I fell asleep and planned to stay that way until at least breakfast time.

But no.

Of course not.

"Hiccup!"

The voice, while being a hissed whisper, was still loud. I groaned, not wanting to open my eyes. The bed warm so warm and soft, and the air on my face was so cold. I just wanted to stay there.

Then the person attached to the voice shook me by the shoulder.

"Hiccup, open your eyes!"

I obeyed, and found my vision of the still-dark hospital wing was bleary. I blinked a few times and turned over to see who the person was. I nearly had a heart attack.

"Oh my g... Astrid, what-?!"

"Sh! Don't wake Rapunzel!"

I lowered my voice to a whisper, my heart still pounding and my cheeks flushing red. "Sorry. Why- what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you, idiot."

I turned an even deeper shade of red. "Right. But... why?"

"I was worried about you," Astrid said, though her facial expression seemed to be more mildly disgusted than sympathetic. "And Merida said you woke up, so I thought I'd visit you."

"Before the even the sun is awake?" I asked. "When do you normally get up, midnight?"

"The sun doesn't _wake up_ , stupid. It's an inanimate object. Gods, you're weird."

"Sure. I'm weird, then. But why are you here so early? I was trying to sleep."

Astrid dismissed my protest with a shake of her head. "You've slept for like a week, Hiccup, you'll live. And why do you _think_ I'm here this early?"

I really had no idea, so replied jokingly, "So no one will see you associating with the village disappointment?"

Her gaze dropped to the floor. "It sounds horrible when you put it that way, but yeah."

My eyes widened. "You mean you actually- oh. Um. Sorry."

There was an awkward pause.

"So... are you feeling better?"

"I was fine to begin with, I'm only here to wait for the effects of the confundus to wear off."

"Right." Astrid said. She fidgeted on the spot. "Good. Uh, see you around, I guess."

"Oh. Bye."

"Don't tell anyone I was here. No offence."

"None taken," I muttered, as Astrid closed the door softly. Of course, I was somewhat disappointed that she left so fast, and that she'd felt the need to visit me in the very early morning to avoid being seen, but _still_. She had actually come and talked to me. She maybe even _cared_ about me. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face as I lay back down, attempting to get a bit more sleep before I actually had to get up for real.

Rapunzel began classes a couple of days after I started again, and then a few weeks passed without event. The workload certainly got harder, as exams were coming up. This was a fact that the professors took delight in repeating over and over again, especially when someone had done something wrong.

Passing notes? That's going to distract you from your work and you won't pass your exam! Got bored and started drawing instead of writing down what you're supposed to be learning? You're not going to hear some vital information, and you'll end up failing your exam! Sneezed in class? You missed point five of a second of the lesson - you're going to be homeless at the ripe old age of twelve!

Speaking of the age of twelve... my birthday was approaching quickly and I was honestly more anxious about it than anything else.

For one thing, it was my actual birthday this year. That doesn't make a whole heap of sense, but my birthday is on February the twenty-ninth, so I only get a real one every four years. That was kind of a big deal.

Another reason why I didn't want to bring it up was because my birthday was the only day that I thought about my mother (you know, because that's when she gave birth to me?). And while I'd never known her, thinking about it too much kind of made me wish I did.

I hadn't told anyone when my birthday was, and hadn't really expected anyone to try to find out, so I was surprised when the conversation came up at lunch one day.

The five of us were sitting in the library, half talking and half studying for the impending exams, when Rapunzel spoke.

"Am I the youngest out of all of us?"

Everyone raised their heads from their textbooks.

"Well, when's your birthday?" asked Jack.

"June."

"And you're still eleven, right?"

"Yeah."

"You probably are, then," he said. "I turned twelve in November, Elsa did in December-"

"How did you know that?" cut in Elsa. "You weren't even there."

Jack turned red. "Whatever. What about you two?"

"I'm in August," said Merida. "Remember?"

I did remember that now, come to think of it. Then I realised that everyone was staring at me.

"Um, February," I said.

"Yeah, I'm the youngest, then," Rapunzel said. "So what day is your birthday, Hiccup? It's the twenty-eighth now, so it must have already passed. You should have told us."

"Uh... no, actually." I said. "It's on the twenty-ninth."

Jack (predictably) laughed. "The leap year day!? That's brilliant! So technically, you're like three?"

I had a sudden flashback to our first conversation on the train carriage at the very start of the school year, when Jack had said something similar about my name. It was weird. The comment had seemed so nasty at the time, but now it was more like gentle teasing.

"No, I'm not three yet," I replied, playing along. "I'm _turning_ three."

Jack snickered, provoking a shove from Elsa.

"Hey!" he protested. "That wasn't mean!"

Elsa rolled her eyes and went back to her study. Rapunzel raised her head. "So you're twelve tomorrow, then?"

"Three," Jack and I said in unison. I grinned.

Rapunzel smiled as well. "So... would you like a cake, then? Our dorm IS right next to the kitchen, so it wouldn't be any trouble."

"What?" I said, confused. "Why would I want a cake?"

"For... your birthday...?" Rapunzel said, apparently equally confused. "As in a birthday cake?"

"Birthday cake," I repeated to myself. "Is that a tradition or something?"

"Well, _yeah_ ," Merida said. "How do you not know what a birthday cake is? Where have you been living for the past eleven years, on an island in the middle of nowhere?"

Elsa covered her grin with a hand.

"The island in the middle of nowhere has a name," I said. "It's called Berk."

" _Anyway_ ," Rapunzel butted back in. "Do you want a cake or not?"

"Oh. Well. I mean... you don't have to-"

"I enjoy cooking," said Rapunzel. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all."

I shrugged awkwardly, just as the bell rang for class. "If you really want to, sure."

I didn't even remember it was my birthday the next morning. I got up, got dressed, and went down to breakfast without giving it a second thought.

I dumped my satchel on the ground before sitting down at the table and helping myself to a bowl of porridge. As I was about halfway finished, Elsa sat down next to me.

"Morning," I said indistinctly, through the porridge.

"Happy birthday."

I blinked. "Oh yeah! Um... thanks."

Elsa laughed. I noticed, not for the first time, that she covered her mouth with one hand when she laughed.

"I hope you're not too disappointed - I couldn't buy you anything - but I made you a notebook for your drawings."

She handed me a book, the outside covered with fabric and stitched onto a whole stack of mismatched sheets of paper. I opened it, noticing happily that it seemed to be bound together quite strongly, and that all the pages, while different shades and sizes, were all blank.

"Sorry that it looks a bit patched together," she said apologetically. "But I only had one day to make it."

"It's great," I said happily, and tucked it into my satchel. The number of times I'd gotten in trouble from teachers by drawing on my schoolwork were uncountable, so this would really make a difference.

Just then, I heard the flutter of wings in the air. Looking up, I saw that the daily post had arrived, owls swarming into the hall and dropping envelopes by the hundreds.

I hoped desperately that my dad had sent me something, but I realised quickly that I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. The last owl left the hall without a single one coming near me.

I tried not to let my disappointment show, and looked back down at my breakfast. If Elsa noticed, she didn't say anything to me.

Next period was potions with Professor Cogsworth, a joint class with Gryffindor. I sat down between Elsa and Merida, noting half-excitedly and half-worriedly that Astrid was sitting on the other side of Merida. I was only one person away from her, which meant I could barely concentrate all lesson, and kept glancing sideways at her and turned bright red the two times that we made eye contact.

I kept thinking about when she'd visited me in the hospital. Did she even remember that? Of course she remembered that, it was only a few weeks ago. Well, maybe a month or so ago, but surely shed remember that. Just why had she visited, though? Was she just being nice, or trying to get house points or something? No, of course not. Astrid wasn't NICE to people for the sake of it, and she definitely wasn't looking for points. She had told me not tell anyone, for goodness sake!

So did that mean...?

"Mr Haddock?"

"What?" My eyes snapped back into focus from where they'd been staring into middle distance.

"I asked you a question. You should know the answer; would you mind sharing it with the class?"

"Um..." I could tell that Cogsworth knew I hadn't been listening, but he wasn't going to leave me alone until I'd admitted it. Elsa gave me an imperceptible nudge, and scrawled something in her book. I squinted at it.

"Uh, a bezoar stone," I said, still unsure of what the question had been.

Cogsworth sniffed. "Glad to see you were paying attention, Miss Arendelle. Mr Haddock on the other hand, at least try to _look_ like you're listening."

"Sorry, sir."

At lunch, as promised, Rapunzel brought a cake.

"Honestly, Tiana did a lot of the work," she said as she handed out slices. We were all sitting on the ground in the courtyard, holding out napkins for her to put the cake onto. "I just iced the top. I _would_ have made it, but she said I was doing it wrong and I guess she couldn't bear to watch."

"It's really good," said Jack through a mouthful.

"Like I said, thank Tiana."

We sat in silence for a bit, chewing on the cake. After Merida finished her slice, she spoke.

"So did you get anything good?"

I assumed she meant presents, so I pulled out the notebook Elsa had made. "I got this."

Merida peered closely at it. "Looks a bit shabby if you ask me. Who gave it to ye?"

"Elsa did."

Merida laughed. "Right, right, but I mean from home. Did you get anything in the mail?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Elsa stiffen. Yeah, she'd noticed my lack of communication from home all right, and she was more sensitive about it than I was.

I decided to give a truthful response.

"Uh... no. Nothing's come yet."

Merida shrugged. "You know it's weird, Hiccup, I don't think I know anything about your family. I know all about where you live, because Astrid told us, but she's never said anything about your mum and dad."

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Elsa said instantly, in an almost nasty voice.

Merida wrinkled her nose. "Well, ex _cuse_ me for trying to get to know someone! I'll just keep my mouth shut and sit here like a meek little princess, shall I?"

"She has a point," said Jack to Elsa. "We know barely anything about his family."

" _Maybe_ because he doesn't want to talk about it," snapped back Elsa.

"Why not? Is there some big secret? Now I _really_ want to know."

"It's really not that big a deal," I said, shrugging. "My mum died when I was little, so now it's just me and Dad. See? Really nothing to kick up a fuss about."

Apparently mentioning dead people makes everyone go silent, or at least that's what happened after I told everyone.

"Um... sorry," said Merida sheepishly. To this day, I still don't know why people do that. They weren't personally responsible for my mother's death, were they?

"Do you miss her?" asked Rapunzel.

I hesitated. "I don't even remember her."

She had the grace to look embarrassed, though I didn't think I was bothered in the slightest. I'd meant what I'd said: I couldn't remember her, so I couldn't miss her.

But Rapunzel's words had unsettled me. I couldn't remember a single time when someone had talked to me properly about my mother, even Elsa had avoided the subject when she'd asked about my dad. I suddenly felt like I _did_ miss her - this mother who I'd never really met, never talked to. I never asked Dad about her, because he'd yelled at me the first and only time that I did.

I wanted a mum.

I wanted _my_ mum.

I just wanted a proper family again.

Everyone was staring at me, except Jack, who was suddenly incredibly interested in his cake crumbs.

Merida took a step towards me, her face uncharacteristically concerned. "Are- are you okay?"

I felt like I was about to cry, so I probably looked like it as well.

"I... I need to go to the toilet."

It was a terrible excuse, I could tell that none of them believed me even without seeing their faces, but no one tried to stop me. I ran across the courtyard into the castle and all the way to the Ravenclaw common room, dodging students and teachers and nearly tripping over half the stairs that I climbed. When I finally got to the door with the eagle on it, tears were threatening to spill over.

I reached up and tapped the eagle knocker against itself. With a sinking feeling, I realised that I would have to answer a riddle to get in, which meant I would have to speak out loud. I knew that as soon as I began to speak I wouldn't be able to keep it together any more, and I wondered if the eagle would be able to understand half-sobbed answers.

But to my surprise, the door unlatched and swung open before the bronze bird even opened its mouth.

When it did, it didn't ask a riddle. It just spoke in a low voice, quiet enough that I was the only one who could have heard it.

"Sometimes, the wizards who have shed the most tears gain the most wisdom of all in the end."

For some reason, the eagle's comment completely shattered any calm left in my body. I completely lost it, and began running flat out into the common room, up the stairs and into the first year boys' dorm. I swiped a sleeve over my wet face and threw myself onto my bed. I picked up the pillow, burying my face in it to mask any crying that might be heard, and to hide my face.

While people can _guess_ you're crying while your face is hidden in a pillow, they can't know for sure. And right now, that was good enough for me.

* * *

 **AN:** Thanks for reviewing ( _no one ever reviews this fic aggggh_ ),and please feel free to suggest plot ideas.

OH! Actual important note! Okay, since we're basing the upload schedule of the fic off our school term, we won't be uploading for the next two weeks (during the holidays). However, we will be posting a _second_ chapter this week, which will be the final chapter for first year. We should have a second year fic up by the 26th-ish (I think) of April, depending on where you live in the world, so be sure to follow us so that you get the notification.

Another thing! If you have any good ideas for a name that can be our equivalent of "Death-eater", please suggest them. We considered Night-mares, but those are the horses, not the people.

Review replies:  
We didn't get any reviews, so this section is relatively useless. Thanks guys. Glad to know that people are still reading.


	11. The world, for once, in perfect harmony

**Merida**

Hiccup was okay, or so he said, but I made a mental note never to bring up his mother again.

I personally had only cried in public once before, and it was possibly the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to me. I didn't want someone else to have to go through the same thing. Well, except for Jack, maybe. He wasn't little or endearing like Hiccup, and I wouldn't think twice about torturing him about something he hated. Besides, he surely wouldn't let himself be reduced to tears, so I wouldn't feel as guilty anyway.

Exams loomed on the horizon for what seemed like forever, and then dragged on for even longer. I stayed up way longer than my sane mind did, poring over library books to study the most obscure things possible.

It was during exams week that the weather started to get warmer. It was unusual for Scotland to actually have a distinguishable springtime rather than just "slightly less cold rainstorms", but nobody was complaining. It meant that we didn't get numb fingers while scratching out essays with our freezing quills, or feel the need to huddle under fifteen layers of blankets when we went to bed. Instead, we could wander around without our robes, without our jumpers even. The warm weather was lovely.

Well, for most people. Jack and Elsa, while having been able to laugh at our goosebumps and bright red noses back in winter, were now having serious issues with the hotter weather. Elsa didn't ever complain outright, but I could sometimes see a sheen of sweat over her face as she walked around the school, or noticed that she got tireder faster.

Jack, on the other hand, wasn't as subtle. He let everybody know that he wasn't enjoying spring, and boy were we sick of it. He constantly moaned about the weather, even interrupting other conversations to complain about it. More than once I had wanted to just sock him in the face to shut him up, but had refrained from it because he was "our friend and we should be nice to him" (Rapunzel had hissed this at me when we were eating lunch and she'd caught sight of my clenched fists).

I don't know how, but we did actually make it to the end of exams. I felt sure I would die of something brain-related before they were over, but as I scrawled out the last incorrect answer on my herbology test, I felt a heavy weight lifted off my chest. Sure, I'd probably gotten more than half the answers wrong, but it was _over_. I wanted to jump onto my desk and break my quill in half, but I decided that Professor Pacha wouldn't appreciate it. Instead I celebrated quietly to myself by scribbling a cartoon on the desk, depicting a curly-haired character (me) shooting a wad of paper with an arrow while shouting "I defeated first year!"

I got in trouble for it after, but it was fun at the time.

The day of the end of year feast was our last day of classes. I never did figure out just why they bothered making us sit through class _after_ the exams had finished, but it seemed completely pointless to me. I concentrated even less than usual.

Anyway, the summer holidays were drawing nearer, and everyone had an air of distraction and excitement about them. I was looking forward to getting back home and riding Angus again.

Our last class of the year was Defence Against the Dark Arts, which I found strangely appropriate as that was the only class with information in it that I had actually used this year.

While some of the other teachers let us screw around in class as the holidays crept up, Professor Bunnymund didn't. He had us working down to the last second, and even now made us fill out revision test that was meant to prepare us for next year. But, as the minute hand on the clock moved closer to the twelve, I found it harder and harder to concentrate.

I raised my head up from the question that I had been stuck on for the past seven minutes and glanced around the stuffy classroom. Almost everyone had their heads down on their desks or had a look of forced concentration as they tried to remember answers. Some of the few exceptions were Elsa and Hiccup, typical Ravenclaws. I'd seen Elsa finish her test ages ago and she was currently reading a novel, similar to the one she read on the train at the very start of the school year. Hiccup, also finished, was sketching a complicated picture in a leather-bound notebook that involved a lot of rubbing out and a look of intense concentration. Ever since the mother incident I had felt somewhat protective towards the smallest member of our group, so I was glad to see that Hiccup was smiling as he drew.

I glanced up at the clock again only to find that not even a minute had passed. I groaned as loudly as I could without the teacher hearing, and smacked my head down on the desk. It made a satisfying thump, which was suddenly followed by a second.

I sat back up. That hadn't been me making that noise.

Jack had thrown his test at the wall behind Professor Bunnymund's desk and had narrowly missed his head. Bunny stared at Jack for a split second, and then exploded.

"Mr Overland! In what universe is chucking a test at your teacher acceptable behaviour? Sit back down immediately! You'll be staying after class and writing me a page on exactly what justifies your behaviour!"

Jack kept standing long enough for me to think something was wrong, and with a huff, sat down. The heat was obviously getting to everyone, even Rapunzel who shut her test booklet with a bang and commenced drawing all over her desk.

I started to count down the seconds before the final bell rang.

Eighty-seven… eighty-six… eighty-five…

Professor Bunnymund announced that the test was over and immediately had to shush us.

Sixty-three… sixty-two…

He started walking around the classroom, collecting our tests.

Forty… thirty-nine… thirty-eight… thirty-seven… thirty-six…

I began stuffing all of my belongings back into my bag.

Seventeen… sixteen… fifteen… fourteen… thirteen… twelve… eleven…

I put the stopper in my ink bottle.

Seven… six…

I could hear yells outside from a class that had been let out early.

Three… two… one…

The heavy tolling of the bell was almost completely drowned out by the scraping of chairs on the cobblestone floor of classrooms all throughout the enormous castle. I could hear shouts and thundering footsteps coming from the Transfiguration classroom down the hall as a class of excited students ran past. I was just as excited as everyone else. I was the second one out the door and was immediately sucked into the tirade of students running from the last classes of the year. We only had tomorrow, and then we were going home!

Although, now that I thought about it, I realised just how much I would miss Hogwarts over summer. I loved all the friends I'd made here, and I didn't want to have to leave them. Plus, I was muggleborn. While other kids had magical families and would be surrounded by magic for all of summer, I couldn't be.

As excited as I was to be free, I didn't like the thought that I would have to leave the magic behind and pretend to be normal again.

I blinked, realising I had been standing still and staring blankly into the churning corridor. I hitched up my bag, and made my way to the Gryffindor common room.

As the portrait swung aside, I couldn't help grinning at the mass of people dressed in red and gold. It was probably just my opinion, of course, but our house colours looked better than anyone else's. I dragged my bag up the flight of stairs, intending to pack as soon as I got up there. I still hadn't packed anything, although the train ride home was tomorrow morning.

It took a while, but eventually I had crammed every last one of my belongings back into my trunk. It was ready to load onto the train tomorrow, with the exception of my uniform to wear on the trip and my pyjamas for tonight.

Speaking of tonight, I was more than a little excited about the presentation of the house cup. One of the older Gryffindors, a sixth year boy named Eric, had told us all about it at breakfast one day. Apparently, Gryffindor had won almost every year, which meant we had a good chance this time as well. I felt bad that I hadn't contributed more points to our house, and realised as I was packing that I'd lost us more than I'd gained us.

As we filed into the Great Hall that evening, I couldn't help grinning when I confirmed with myself that Gryffindor's point hourglass was fuller than all the others, along with the red banners that decorated the room. Another look at the hourglasses told me that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were close behind us, while Slytherin was dead last.

 _Serves Overland right_ , I thought. I looked around for him, spotting him sitting near the front of his table. I caught his eye and smirked, pointing at the Gryffindor hourglass. He scowled and stuck his tongue out.

I scanned the room for my other friends and the yellow and blue tables.

Elsa and Hiccup were easy to find, sitting close together with books clutched in their hands. They probably couldn't care less about the house cup, spoilsports.

Then there was Rapunzel, laughing and chatting with her fellow Hufflepuffs. It was still odd, seeing her with brown hair. Every time I heard her voice and turned toward her, I expected to see the blonde braid swinging behind her.

I was just sitting down as I heard the booming voice of our headmaster ring out around the room.

"If you children are all ready, I would like to begin the presentation of the house cup."

Everyone instantly stopped talking and looked expectantly at North.

He laughed. "As you can all see from the decorations, Gryffindor has obviously won this year's cup."

He paused as a cheer broke out from our table. I grinned.

"However-"

The cheering stopped, and the grin dropped from my face.

"-I have a few extra points I would like to award."

More chatter sprang up around the room until North cleared his throat again. "Would the following students please stand up when I read your names. Jackson Overland!"

The green table burst into applause, but my mouth dropped open in indignation. Slytherin wasn't going to _win_. Were they?

North continued. "Mr Overland, for determination and triumph over evil, I award Slytherin twenty more points!"

More cheering, though I kept my mouth closed.

"Hiccup Haddock and Elsa Arendelle, for wit and tactical brilliance, I award Ravenclaw fifty extra points!"

Oh, I could see where this was going. He was going to give everyone who'd rescued Rapunzel extra points. That meant I was next. But still, Ravenclaw had gotten double because there were two of them.

From the seat beside me, Astrid groaned. She turned around to me. "That means they've _won_. Gods, I _hate_ Hiccup!"

I nodded. I didn't hate him really, but I'd found it was best to just agree with my fellow Gryffindors. They tended to blow up in your face if you disagreed with them - I knew because I'd done it myself.

"Merida DunBroch-"

I sprang to my feet, smiling widely.

"-for outstanding strength and courage in the face of adversity, I award Gryffindor forty extra points!"

I was immediately deafened by my house, who clearly had the biggest sets of lungs in the school. Astrid punched me in the shoulder, which hurt, but at least it was congratulatory. Gryffindor had won after all!

But then, North spoke again.

"I'm not done!"

Damn it.

"The final points I would like to award are to Rapunzel Corona, for impressive amounts of bravery, resourceful problem-solving, and an admirably cheerful nature. Hufflepuff - I give you sixty extra points!"

I groaned in annoyance, though to be honest Rapunzel had really earned it. It also wasn't Slytherin winning, so that was another bonus. I clapped along with the yellow table, and was glad to see that most of the other Gryffindors had joined in as well.

The rest of the feast passed quickly, the delicious food settling into my stomach as I filled plate after plate. I realised half way through a meat pie that this was the last chance I'd have to eat as much as I wanted before I went home. My mother always said that a lady shouldn't stuff her face just for the sake of it, to which my father would reply "Oh, come on, Elinor! She's a growing lass!"

I grinned as I took another bite. I loved my dad.

I had eaten more than I thought was humanly possible by the time dessert was cleared off the tables. I was ready to go right back to the dorm and fall asleep, but then I remembered that we were getting our marks back for each subject. Blast.

The teacher handed out the envelopes, and I held mine nervously when I received it. I didn't think I'd get very good grades, so I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it. Sure, my marks weren't incredible, but at least they weren't _bad_. My mum wouldn't get cross at me for them or anything.

My eyes were drooping as I read the report card, and I could barely keep them open as us Gryffindors tramped back to our common room. On the way, I compared grades with the other Gryffindor first years. They were all about the same: not Ravenclaw-perfect, but not terrible.

We reached the dorm, telling the fat lady the password and blundering our way inside. I was really tired now, and I barely had the energy to get into my night clothes. My eyes closed as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I woke up very early the next day, probably before the sun came up. I got dressed, made doubly sure I had everything packed, and then sat at the edge of my bed, waiting. I didn't usually wake this early, so I had no idea what I should do to occupy my time. I tried to make some noise to wake up my dorm-mates, but not enough that they'd get mad at me for it. It didn't work. They were all mad.

When we'd finally passed enough time, we strolled down to breakfast. It was delicious, as always, but I was starting to remember my mother's cooking from home. Perhaps it wasn't on the same level as the food at Hogwarts, but I did miss it. I smiled as I chewed my toast, reminding myself that I'd be back home in time for dinner.

It was only nine o'clock when I finished breakfast, and the train left at eleven. There were no classes, so I decided to go to the library to see if the rest of my friends were there. Sure enough, I found them sitting in a circle around a table. There was an empty seat, so I plopped down into it.

"Merida!" Rapunzel looked up at me. "Hi!"

I smiled. "Who's excited to be going home?"

"Oh boy, am I!" Jack laughed. "I can't wait to see my sister again!"

"Same," Elsa said. She was stroking Olaf, who was sitting on her lap. "I haven't seen her since last year, since I didn't go home for Christmas."

"Yeah, I know!" Rapunzel ran a hand through her brown hair. "I wonder what Mum and Dad'll think of my haircut. I've told them through owl, but they'll still probably freak out."

"I can't wait to take Angus for a ride again," I said, picturing my beautiful horse. I'd ridden him at Christmas, but I really missed him.

I was about to change the subject, but then realised Hiccup had stayed silent. I questioned him.

"Are you looking forward to going home?"

He blinked in surprise. "Ah... Yes. Yeah, I um, I sure am."

"You're a terrible liar," said Jack disinterestedly, without looking up from making icy patterns on the table.

"Why don't you want to go home?" asked Rapunzel. "Is Hogwarts just too much fun?"

Hiccup gave a very fake laugh. "Uh, yeah, that's right."

"Your lying hasn't improved," Jack said, once again without turning his head.

Rapunzel looked uncomfortable. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Why you don't want to go home?"

"I never said that."

"Yes you- well, you implied it."

"No I didn't."

"So you _don't_ want to talk about it?"

"There _is_ nothing to talk about."

"But-"

"Rapunzel, just leave him alone."

Surprisingly, that was Jack. Weird. If I remembered correctly, he didn't usually stick up for anyone. Maybe that's why it was so effective. Rapunzel stopped talking immediately and scratched her head awkwardly.

The rest of our conversations were pretty mundane, and we were constantly craning our necks towards the library clock to see how long we had until eleven. Finally, and ten thirty, Professor Potts poked her head in the door and called.

"Any students in the library, this is your wind-up. The train leaves in exactly half an hour, so it would be a good idea to grab your luggage and get down to the platform."

I sprang up. "Let's go!"

The air outside, as it was almost summer, was warm. A soft breeze ruffled my hair, but not harshly enough to feel annoying. Instead, the walk up to the train tracks was rather nice, as the path was under a bunch of trees that threw dappled shade over us. I hauled my trunk along, smiling to myself as I thought about my family. I hadn't been able to write to them at all, since they were muggles, so I had a lot to catch them up on. Rapunzel's rescue, the duel with Gothel... I couldn't wait to retell it overdramatically to my mother.

Oh, Mum. I always complained about how annoying she was, but truth be told, I really did miss her.

After a brief wait both on the platform and inside the train, we were on our way home again. I spent a while staring out at the countryside through the window, watching all the paddocks and hills and rivers fly past. Rapunzel sang under her breath, and every now and then I caught a few lines about grass and dirt, and summer breeze.

Her song was appropriate for the weather in the morning, but as the day drew on, clouds started to gather in the sky. It soon began to rain.

I also noticed that the temperature inside our compartment had dropped somewhat, though surely the rain wasn't responsible for that. When the cold was enough to make me shiver, I turned away from the window and looked for a reason.

I spotted it instantly.

"Jack Overland, what the hell?"

Everyone had their heads down, absorbed in their respective activities, so they hadn't noticed Jack at all. He had knelt up onto his seat so that he could touch the ceiling. A steady patch of frost was spreading across it.

At the sound of my voice, he grinned. "Got a problem?"

While other people would have first asked him to stop politely, I skipped that step and threw my shoe at him.

"Ow!"

"Then stop!"

Jack kicked my shoe back, sat down and crossed his arms. I could hear him muttering under his breath. "What is it with girls and throwing random objects at me? First it's a chair, now it's a shoe... What did I do to deserve this? Couldn't they at least throw food or something I could actually use? It's not fair..."

"Will you two be quiet?" Elsa said, irritated, looking up from her book.

I shot a glare at Jack, and then looked down at the floor.

The train ride passed tediously slowly, mainly because I got bored of reading as soon as I'd opened the book. I tried talking to people, but the only person without their nose buried in reading material was Jack, and there was no way I was talking to him. So I had to amuse myself with things such as counting sheep and cows out the window, picking at a lumpy bit of paint on the wall, trying to remove my socks without taking off my shoes, and other extraordinarily exciting things like that. Eventually, the light from the window began to dim, making the shaky lantern in our carriage seem much brighter. A lady came around with dinner, which we gladly accepted and tore into hungrily.

I was just picking the last edible bits off my chicken bone when I noticed that the train was slowing. Eyes lighting up, I leapt to the window and clutched the sill in anticipation. I was joined by Rapunzel, who knelt next to me as the carriage rocked. I strained my eyes, managing to make out the lights at the station. I smiled, barely able to contain my excitement. All I could think was _Mum and Dad, Mum and Dad_!

All of a sudden, the train gave a huge lurch, throwing me off-balance for a second. When I had steadied myself, I realised that the train had come to a complete stop. We were here!

The familiar voice of Mrs Potts came from the carriage corridor. "All students are now welcome to alight from the train, though I urge you to check over your compartments for belongings before you leave. Otherwise, pick up your luggage, and then wait on the platform for your parents. Please have a lovely night and summer holidays, and we look forward to teaching you next term."

I looked around at my friends, seeing everyone's tired faces in wide grins.

We staggered off the train, our legs stiff from sitting still for so long. The sky was almost completely dark now, so I assumed it was going to be hard to spot our parents.

However, Jack proved me wrong almost instantly, shouting almost as soon as his feet hit the platform pavement. "Mum!"

A woman, fairly tall and with her brown hair in a low bun, came running toward him. She was accompanied by a little girl, maybe eight years old, stumbling to keep up with her.

Jack's mum wrapped her arms around him, laughing.

"We've missed you, Jack!"

Jack pulled away from her, grinning, and instantly the little girl jumped at him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, chattering loudly to him. I smiled at the sight of it, kind wishing that I had a little sister.

Jack's mum began to guide her children along the platform, ready to take them back home. Jack took a second to turn and wave to us, his face lit up, and then he and his family were lost in the crowd.

I blinked, remembering that I had parents to watch for as well. I scanned the group of wizards for muggles, but couldn't see any. Maybe they were late. After all, they didn't have magic to help them get around.

Another little girl, about the same age as Jack's sister, emerged from behind a bunch of sixth-years. She had red pigtails, and a bunch of freckles across her nose, but somehow her face reminded me of Elsa. Sure enough, the girl ran up to her and grabbed one of her hands, all the while squealing excitedly.

"Oh my gosh, you're really back! And Rapunzel, you're not dead after all! Come with me; Auntie Primrose and Uncle Frederick are over here! Come on!"

Elsa and Rapunzel picked up their trunks, hurrying over to the mentioned aunt and uncle. Rapunzel flung herself into their arms - of course, because she'd been missing for that time, they must have been so relieved! Then, after some tearful hugs and laughter, our two friends were walking away, leaving only Hiccup and I waiting.

We were there for a good ten minutes, just staring at the crowd, searching for our parents, before we even thought to talk to each other.

"So what do your mum and dad look like?" asked Hiccup.

"Mum's thin, and has got long dark brown hair. Dad's really massive with red hair. You can't miss him."

Hiccup looked at me amusedly. "Your dad is huge with red hair?"

I nodded. "Yes, I literally just said that."

He laughed. "I can relate. There's mine over there."

I looked in the direction he was pointing, and nearly snickered as well when I spotted him. He did look a little like my dad, though he had a far more impressive beard of darker red. He also still had both legs, though the same couldn't be said for my dad who'd lost one to a bear.

Hiccup's dad spotted him, and walked over to us. He didn't shout or run like any of the other parents, and instead just looked Hiccup up and down. I knew things weren't really brilliant between the two of them, so I sort of turned my head in order to not seem rude and stare.

Hiccup's father sniffed. "Ravenclaw, huh?"

I could hear the nervous wobble in Hiccup's voice when he spoke, which made me somewhat uncomfortable to be eavesdropping. "Yeah. Sorry I didn't get into Gryffindor like you wanted."

The man grunted. "I'm sure you are. We need to get home. Have you got everything?"

I wasn't watching the conversation, but apparently Hiccup nodded. As they walked away from me, I turned my head cautiously. Hiccup caught my eye, but immediately looked down. The look in his face was an odd mixture of embarrassment and guilt that said "I really wish you hadn't heard that, so please pretend you didn't, and don't say anything out loud."

I kept my mouth shut, and although I was worried for him, I had just spotted my parents. I didn't mean to forget about the incident, but I was tired and distracted, and didn't remember until later. But for now...

"Merida!"

My mum and dad had seen me, and were running as fast as they could through the packed station. I noticed something off about my mother's running; it was awkward and wobbly, and she seemed to be clutching at her stomach as she did so. I saw why as they drew nearer.

Her stomach was huge, standing out from her thin frame. A few dozen irrational explanations of this fact rushed through my mind as I stared at her, before I finally worked out what it was.

Oh, God.

Heaven almighty.

She was... _pregnant_.

They both saw the expression on my face, and my father burst into laughter.

"Don't look so horrified, dear! You're going to be a sister!"

I was at a loss for words as my mother wrapped me in a hug. An awkward one, but still. She looked down at me, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. She was smiling happily.

"So?" Mum giggled. "Any thoughts on the subject?"

I blinked several times. "I... Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"We couldn't," said Dad. "We can't contact you, since we're... what do they call it? Muggles. That's right. Yes, we can't reach you at school, since you wizards use owls to send letters and that's a bit beyond us!"

"But... what about at Christmas?"

" _We_ didn't know at Christmas," Mum said. "Or we weren't sure, anyway. But it's due very, very soon, anyhow."

My parents began to talk to me and each other, laughing and joking as we walked away from the station. I realised as we did so that this was the reason I loved my family. We could laugh together and talk to each other, and no one ever got left out. And although our family was about to change forever, I was happy.

I had the best family ever.

I had amazing friends, and I was going to a school where I fit in even with my strange abilities.

I smiled. I had a great feeling about the next school year.

What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

 **AN:** And that's the end of first year! We'll be posting second year in a new fic in about two weeks time. Be sure to follow us so you get notified when we upload. Please review or PM us, and it would be great to hear some plot ideas as well!

Review replies:

Lightningpanda: You reviewed again! Yay! Thanks for the suggestions, as well as your continuous support of this fic!

Kitty 3: Thanks for your suggestion also! Glad to hear you are enjoying Hiccup's chapters (in all honesty they are very hard to write).

Book-Nerd 1264: XD

The Potato Wizard: You won't read this for a couple of weeks, but thanks!

* * *

 **EDIT: Second year is up. Go check it out.**


	12. Nothing's in my way

**AN:** Here begins second year. Have fun reading.

* * *

 **Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 2, Chapter 1**

 **Hiccup**

"Hiccup, hurry up!"

I glanced quickly towards my bedroom door, startled by the sound of my dad's voice. I was kneeling on the floor next to my trunk, which I had finished packing yesterday afternoon.

I was already wearing my robes, trimmed with the Ravenclaw blue. Even if I'd needed to pick Ravenclaw for myself, I was still enormously glad that it was the house I'd ended up in.

Dad wasn't excited, saying that Gryffindor would have been better, but that at least I wasn't in Slytherin. I had wanted to argue that Slytherins weren't all bad, but had decided not to. It was probably best to let my father have his own opinions.

"Hiccup, did you hear me? Get down here right now!"

"Sorry Dad, just a second!" I called out. With some difficulty, I yanked the trunk closed and slid the buckle into place. I stood up, heaved it up by the handle, and staggered downstairs under its weight. I dropped it at my side when I reached the end of the stairs.

Dad was glaring at me. I cringed. "Sorry."

He looked at me the way you might look at someone who'd discovered a bunch of buried treasure and then accidentally dropped it into a volcano. Pure, undiluted disappointment. I assumed that the reason for this expression was the small incident involving a lot of furniture that I'd caused last night - an accident, of course, but Dad didn't care. I hadn't gotten any dinner.

"Pick up your trunk, we're apparating." My father pushed a hand through his hair. "The other kids have already left. You should have gotten ready faster and gone with them."

"Sorry, Dad."

Yep, he sure was in a bad mood today. In all honesty, I couldn't wait to get away from him and back to school. At least there I had people I could talk to without having to apologise every five seconds.

I grabbed the handle of my trunk with both hands, and tried to lift it. It didn't work.

Dad groaned. "I'll take it."

He snatched it up like it didn't weigh any more than a piece of fruit. There's really nothing like having an extra-strong dad as big as a mountain when you yourself look like a toothpick that grew legs. Really makes you feel great about yourself.

"Why don't you eat more? I swear you've gotten smaller over the holidays."

"Well, it really does help when I'm not allowed to have dinner," I said. "I can just feel all those extra kilograms attaching themselves to me."

"Hiccup?"

"Yeah?"

"Be quiet."

I closed my mouth and looked at the ground. Dad grabbed my arm, and sighed as if apparating with me to the station was a massive waste of his valuable time. Well, it probably was.

"Brace yourself."

I gritted my teeth in anticipation for the impact of arrival, which came nearly immediately after only a second of the floating sensation.

We hit the ground with a thud, the air around us suddenly filled with chattering and sunlight. My shins hurt a little, but I ignored it. I was getting too excited to think about pain - I was going to see my friends again! There were butterflies in my stomach, maybe excited or maybe nervous, as Dad let go of my arm.

I looked at him, and smiled awkwardly when I saw he was already looking down at me.

"Well, I'll be off," he said. He was going already? Didn't he want to meet my friends and their parents, or see the Hogwarts Express? I had so much I wanted to show him.

I didn't protest, however, and instead just frowned slightly. "Yeah... bye, Dad."

My father gave me a stern look. "Now, don't be a nuisance; if I get any sort of letter from school, you are in serious trouble. Understand?"

"Yes, Dad."

"And... You're in second year now, aren't you? That means you can get onto the Quidditch team. Do that."

"Quidditch? B-but, Dad-!"

"And for the gods' sakes, don't have any disasters like the one yesterday. I want you home all in one piece. Get it?"

"Yeah..." I took the trunk from him. "But Dad, you know what happened yesterday was an accident, right?"

"I'll see you next year." He turned away. "Goodbye."

"Wait, next year?! What about Christmas?"

"Look Hiccup, if the school is willing to keep you over Christmas, there's no way I'm going to turn down the offer. Now go and... find your friends or something. I'll see you."

I opened my mouth, but Dad had already disapparated. I sighed.

"Hiccup!"

My head jerked upwards at the yell. It was Merida, running towards me, or at least trying to. Her trunk and owl cage weighing her down and got in the way as she barged through the crowd. I felt a sudden smile tugging at my mouth. Gods, I hadn't realised how much I'd missed my friends. Just seeing Merida's grin and wild hair made me want to cry with relief.

"I was the first one here!" she said, slowing down. Her accent sounded a lot like my dad's – something which I hadn't failed to notice before. "You witnessed it, so now you can back me up when Overland arrives!"

I laughed. "What do you mean?"

Merida let her trunk fall to the ground. "Me and Jack - we were having a competition to see who'd get here first. And _I've_ won, and he can't argue. Anyway! How was your summer?"

"It was... good," I said. And it had been good, apart from the obvious problems between me and my father. I mean, for all the previous summers in my life I hadn't even been recognised as a wizard. This one had certainly been a step up. I'd even had two whole conversations with Astrid!

"I was going to owl you all," Merida said. "But Sova didn't want to leave me, so the only letters I wrote were replies. But I really wanted to tell you all something!"

"What?"

Merida hesitated. "Maybe I should wait for everyone else to get here..."

"Oh, come on!"

She smiled. "Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Um... I'm a sister!"

My eyes widened. "Really? What's its name?"

Merida laughed. "I think you mean 'what are _their_ names. They're triplets!"

"Triplets?"

We both turned around to face the new voice, which turned out to be Jack. He was taller than last year, a fact which made me turn around to check if Merida had grown. She hadn't, although she was still slightly taller than me like last year.

Jack spoke again. "Damn it! I wish I had triplet brothers!"

Merida raised an eyebrow. "When did I say anything about them being boys?"

"Oh... Right." Jack cleared his throat. "Sisters, then."

"Actually, no, they are boys," Merida responded. "I just never said anything about it. Oh, and I definitely beat you to the station."

Jack acted as if he hadn't heard her. "So anyway, how are you guys? I thought maybe everyone would have grown, but apparently that was just me. You guys are still the midgety eleven-year-olds you were last year."

"I am _not_ a midget!" said Merida. Jack grinned and straightened his back right up, drawing attention to the fact that he was about a head taller than her.

She whacked him with her hand. "I'll have you know that I'm the oldest of the five of us!"

"And the shortest- ow!"

"Will you guys shut up?" I said. "We need to look out for Elsa and Rapunzel."

To my surprise, Merida and Jack quieted down instantly. The other two didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, however, so we stood in silence as we glanced around the station. After several minutes had passed, I could tell the other two were getting bored, as they were starting to fidget and fiddle with their clothes.

"Hiccup, do you like Elsa?" Merida asked me, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What? Yeah, of course I-" I gasped, suddenly realising what she meant. "OH. No, not- not like that."

"Right," said Merida, though she was smiling and Jack was near laughter.

"I'm serious! We're friends, but we're not-"

"Hey, Hiccup."

I knew who had spoken the instant the first syllable came out of their mouth, but that didn't stop me from snapping my head around fast as humanly possible.

"Astrid!"

She gave one of those famous half-smirk smiles. "You got here fast. Did you apparate with Stoick?"

I saw Jack mouthing " _Stoick_?" to Merida out of the corner of my eye, but I chose to ignore them.

"Uh, yeah, I did."

"That explains it. He didn't stay for very long did he?"

"No..."

Astrid looked as if she was going to say more, but was cut off by Snotlout yelling from a distance.

"Astrid, hurry up, we're getting a compartment now."

She rolled her eyes as she walked away.

"See you!"

I stared after her for a split second, and only looked away because Merida made a badly stifled cackling noise.

"What?"

"So you don't _like_ like Elsa, but you _definitely_ like Astrid, don't you?"

I flushed. "Well, ye- I mean... no, not- not really... b-but it's not like I _don't like_ her, I mean-"

"Oh, I think you do," said Jack smirking. "Just wait till I tell Naveen and Flynn."

I gasped. "Don't you dare!"

"So you _do_ like her!"

"I never said that!"

"You implied it!"

"Who likes who?"

It was Rapunzel, a mischievous smile on her face. She was standing with Elsa, both of whom were clutching trunks and their respective pets in their hands. I suddenly remembered that she had brown hair now. I'd been picturing her with it blonde for most of the summer.

"No one likes anyone," I said quickly. "And I _especially_ don't like Jack and Merida."

Rapunzel laughed. "Okay then! But anyway - it's great to see you all again! Did you all have a good summer?"

"Yep," said Elsa, sarcastically under her breath.

Rapunzel sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know _you_ didn't. Just let the rest of us enjoy ours, please."

Rapunzel continued talking to Jack and Merida about summer, so I walked closer over to Elsa. She had grown as well, I noted disappointedly. Still, I was more than relieved to see her again, and had to make a conscious effort not to start laughing or crying, or perhaps both.

"Why was your summer bad?" I asked.

She wiped her fringe out of her eyes. I noticed that she seemed to be sort of red in the face.

"It was too _hot_ all the time," she said. I raised an eyebrow.

"It's because of the ice thing," she explained. "I can tolerate colder temperatures than normal because of it, but that also means the heat really affects me. It gets worse as I get older, too - I was way better last year. It's like a double puberty."

I laughed.

"What's this about double puberty?" Jack asked from over in his conversation.

I groaned, and Merida spoke so Elsa didn't have to.

"I have no idea, but if she's talking about puberty, it's _probably_ none of your goddamn business."

"Well why was she talking to Hiccup, then? _He's_ a boy too. Unless he's actually-"

"It has nothing to do with him being a boy," said Elsa exasperatedly. "It's because he's a more decent human being than you. And we weren't even talking about that, anyway!"

"So then why did you-"

"Okay, maybe just stop?" Rapunzel said. "Let's get a compartment on the train. There's only ten minutes till it leaves."

This was a good point, and I noticed already that there were a lot less people on the platform than there had been before.

After searching for an empty compartment with disappointing luck, we decided that we would have to split up in order to fit into any of the available rooms.

Merida refused to go anywhere with Jack, which led to a very loud argument that I didn't want to take part in. Instead, I stared off into middle distance, thinking about Hogwarts. Last year I'd known that I didn't want to go home, and this summer I'd known I'd wanted to go back to school as soon as possible. But I hadn't realised just how strong that feeling was. The atmosphere of all the other students in their uniforms was almost too much for me to handle, let alone talking with my friends again.

"Okay then, fine!" Rapunzel's voice broke through my thoughts. "You don't have to go with Jack. Come with me and Elsa instead, and then the boys can go together."

"No!" Jack and I spoke with equal disgust.

Rapunzel groaned. "Does it really matter who you sit with? It's just a train ride!"

"Yeah, a six-hour train ride," Jack said. "Can I not?"

"Fine. You come with me, and then the others can go together. Any complaints?"

Rapunzel left no time for anyone to voice any complaints that they might have had. "Good. Sorted. Come on, Jack."

The two of them left, dragging their trunks along the skinny corridor.

Merida, Elsa and I eventually found a half-filled compartment and sat down awkwardly amongst a group of older kids. I was slightly nervous about that, but it turned out they didn't bother us at all, apart from introducing themselves.

There was a Slytherin girl - a prefect, she had said proudly - with tan skin and wearing a curious headscarf thing, green to match her robes. Her name was Jasmine. Another Slytherin, a boy about the same age as Jasmine, introduced himself as Aladdin.

There were a couple of others, though none of them were in Ravenclaw, so I didn't know them.

Hours passed, and the sky faded from blue to grey to deep indigo. Once again I got that weird feeling - the one that made me so happy that I felt like sobbing with relief - in anticipation of arriving back at school. Elsa, Merida and I kept to ourselves for the majority of the trip, reading and drawing and staring out at the fields and forests flying by. There was a small conversation between us and the older kids, which took place just before we arrived at the station.

"Elsa?" asked Merida. "Do you know who'll be taking us for Defence Against the Dark Arts now that Gothel's dead?"

"No idea," Elsa replied.

"I know."

The three of us looked at the person who had spoken. It was a Hufflepuff seventh year, a girl with extraordinarily red hair.

The girl continued. "The new teacher is called Professor Smee. I talked to him on the way in; he's kind of little and fat."

Merida nodded. "Is he nice?"

"Yeah. A bit scatterbrained, but that's way better than Gothel, at any rate."

"Well, wouldn't anyone be better than murderous kidnapper who works for Pitch?" I asked.

The girl laughed. "That's true."

During the conversation, I had noticed that the train had fallen out of its normal rhythm. It was slowing.

I waited until I felt the very last jolt of the brakes being applied before I got up. I couldn't help grinning as we stepped off the carriage and into the crowd of chattering students. The sky was nearly fully dark now, and I sucked in a breath when I looked up at it. It was a rich blue, strewn with clusters of stars. On Berk, I rarely saw the stars since the sky was usually obscured by clouds, so they made everything all the more magical.

A shiver went up my spine, and I noticed that the air was a lot colder than it had been back in London. I automatically thought of Elsa and her hatred of hot weather, and turned to her. She was smiling.

"Is it cold enough for you?" I asked.

She laughed. "Well, it's nothing like midwinter, but I guess it'd be your equivalent of a warm summer evening."

"First years over here!" A Germanic-sounding voice called out from some distance away. I recognised it as Oaken, the caretaker. I guess he was beckoning at the smallest people he could see, so I was included in the students he made eye contact with. I wasn't concentrating, and even took a few steps forward before Elsa grabbed my sleeve.

"You're not a first year anymore," she said, suppressing a giggle.

"But - let me guess - I look like one?" I said. "Yeah, very original."

Speaking of first year, I was having some serious throwbacks to this time last year. Gods, I'd barely known anyone back then. I'd been on a boat with Elsa and two boys who I didn't know at that point, though now I knew as Tadashi and Wasabi.

"So then where do the second years go?" Elsa asked, half to herself. I had no answer, and instead looked around for someone who looked like they did.

"Are you two lost?"

Belle! Oh, thank gods! She was one of our Ravenclaw prefects from last year. She'd know what to do.

"Just a little," I said, pulling my robes tight around me as another shiver went through my body.

Belle smiled warmly. "See those carriages over there?"

I squinted at where she pointed, and sure enough, spotted a bunch of carriages just along a path. I nodded.

"We just get on those, and they drive right up to the castle."

We began walking down a path, possibly the same one we'd taken to the train at the end of last year. As we neared them, I noticed something odd. The carriages didn't seem to be attached to anything. Where there might have been a horse, or a donkey, or _something_ , there was just empty ground.

Or at least I thought it was just empty ground.

"What are those things pulling the carriages?" Elsa asked, as we climbed into one.

I gave the appropriate reaction, a bewildered expression accompanied by a nervous laugh. "What things now?"

Belle also reacted, though not at all in the way I expected. She gasped, and looked at Elsa with something that looked oddly like sympathy. "Oh, you poor thing."

"Why...? What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.

"They're called thestrals," Belle said. "I only know because I've read about them. I can't actually see them myself."

It was my turn to gasp. "Thestrals? The things you can only see if you've- oh."

"If you've what?" Elsa asked impatiently.

"If you've seen someone die," Belle said sadly. "So... you have, then?

"Yeah, last year," Elsa said. "Gothel."

"Of course!" Belle said, smacking her forehead. "But... wasn't Hiccup there too?"

"I was," I said, puzzled.

"You were under the confundus," Elsa said. "You didn't remember anything from the fight, including Gothel dying. We had to tell you about it afterwards."

"Right," I said as we bumped along the path, still annoyed that I couldn't see the thestrals. Still, maybe it was a good thing. It meant I hadn't watched anyone die, which was not really on my to-do list.

The carriages pulled up to Hogwarts castle, and after we'd gotten out, we were led into the Great Hall. I smiled at the familiar sight of the candlelit room, once again marvelling at the starry ceiling.

I sat down at the Ravenclaw table, Elsa on one side of me, and Jane from third year on the other. I suddenly remembered the new teacher, Professor Smee, and began looking for him up the front of the room.

I found him, matching the description that the red-haired Hufflepuff girl had given. He was indeed short and fat. In fact, he was probably wider than he was tall. I pointed him out to Elsa, and we began analysing everything he did and whispering about what we thought he'd be like. When we'd run out of ideas, we turned our attention to all the new first years getting sorted, and tried to guess their houses before the sorting hat called them out.

We were nowhere near as good at guessing them than a Hufflepuff might have been, but we still got a few right. After the feast began, I asked Elsa what house she would have guessed for me for our sorting last year.

"I don't know," she said, her mouth half full. "I mean, I'd seen you before in Flourish and Blotts, so I knew you liked reading. But I do remember thinking how little and scared you looked, so maybe Hufflepuff."

"Little and scared," I repeated. "Thanks."

Elsa rolled her eyes and said half-jokingly, "You keep denying the fact that you're smaller than everyone else, even though it's true. Just accept it!"

I shrugged. "It's kinda hard to 'just accept it' when your entire village, especially your one remaining parent doesn't."

Elsa immediately looked down at her plate. It was my own fault, really. I'd made the subject of my home life and my dad so awkward to bring up that now whenever I mentioned it, she felt embarrassed even when I didn't.

We ate in silence for a bit, thanks to me and my touchy subjects, until Elsa finally spoke up again.

"So... is everything okay? With your dad, I mean."

There was something in the way she spoke that made me think there was a little more to her question than a simple "how are you going?". Her expression, too, wasn't one of mild interest. She was worried. About _me_.

I set my fork down and looked her in the eyes. "What are you really asking?"

She flushed slightly. "I... Look, Hiccup. You've told me very few things about your dad, and the stuff that I _have_ heard isn't looking great. Honestly, I'm concerned. Is everything... okay?"

"Everything's okay," I said. I meant it, too. I was completely fine. "I mean, yeah, dad doesn't particularly like me, but it's not like he - I don't know - locks me in a basement without food and water or anything. You don't need to worry about me."

Elsa looked unconvinced.

"If you say so," she sighed, and took a bite of her dinner.

We ate the rest of our dinner without talking, though I rather wished Elsa would say something else. I was worried that she didn't believe me about my dad, and that in itself worried me even more. Why would I be so nervous if nothing was wrong?

As soon as I'd left the Great Hall, Elsa and I were yanked aside by Merida.

I groaned. "Can it wait? I just want to go to bed."

" _No!_ " Merida said, poking me. "The five of us need to talk."

We tried to get Jack and Rapunzel over next to us as well, and found an empty corner to talk in, but Jack didn't come with us. He wanted to hurry up and get to the Slytherin common room, although I couldn't imagine why. I'd never been to the Slytherin common room myself (obviously), but apparently it was in the dungeons and were dark and scary. When I compared it to the breezy Ravenclaw common room, I couldn't help wondering why anyone would find it comfortable or consider it a second home.

"What is it, Merida?" asked Rapunzel, once the four of us had gathered together.

"Well," Merida grinned. "Hiccup, and Jack too actually, already know this, but you two don't."

"Oh, right," I said, smiling knowingly.

"What?!" Rapunzel asked impatiently.

Merida paused just long enough to aggravate the other two girls, and then finally gave in. "My mum had triplets!"

"Oh my gosh!" Rapunzel spoke so loudly that a couple of teachers looked our direction. She immediately lowered her voice, but the grin never left her face as she grabbed onto Merida's sleeves. "Triplets! That is _so_ cool! What are their names? How old are they? What do they look like?"

Merida took a step back, her hands up.

"Calm down!" she said. "They're all boys, and are called Hubert, Harris, and Hamish. They're about two months old, I think, and they've all got little wisps of red hair, just like me and dad."

Merida grinned especially at the last part. "Mum was sort of annoyed about the hair. I mean, she's had four kids, and all of them look like dad!"

"I remember my mum saying the same thing," Elsa said. "I got blonde hair from my powers, and then Anna got red from my dad and his parents, but nobody had brown hair."

"My parents were actually kind of happy when my hair got cut last year," said Rapunzel. "You know how I was worried that they'd freak out? Turns out they really liked it, since they'd been two brown-haired parents wandering around with a blonde daughter for eleven years."

I smiled to myself, but refrained from joining the hair colour discussion. I assumed I'd gotten brown hair from Mum, but since Dad never talked about her I couldn't really know for sure. Elsa saw me staring into middle distance, but did nothing except give a sympathetic smile as the three of them kept talking. She knew I wouldn't want any attention brought to myself. Rapunzel on the other hand, caught sight of me, and I could just _tell_ she was about to make a big fuss out of it. But, thank gods, I was saved by a Gryffindor boy butting into our conversation.

"Hey, were you the ones who killed Gothel last year?"  
The boy, who was in second year with us, had hair as bright as Merida's and was standing with hands on his hips. I couldn't remember his name… Percy, maybe?

Merida turned around. "Yes, we are. Well, Jack was the one who _actually_ killed her, but he's not here. We helped, though. I smashed he mirror that he stabbed her with."

The boy nodded, smirking. "Yeah, I thought it was you guys. Now, I had a question-"

"The mirror shard the she got stabbed with was really sharp. Went right into her flesh, it did. There was blood _everywhere_."

Elsa, Rapunzel, and I looked at our friend confusedly. Why was she telling him this?

The boy gave a puzzled laugh. "Okay… But anyway-"

"Blood all over the place. All over her clothes, splattered around the walls, there was just _blood_. And as the mirror went into her heart, you could hear this squelching noise! And then as she fell to the ground, her eyes rolled back and all you could see was the white bits."

I felt rather sick at this detailed description, and I assumed that Merida was trying to make the boy feel the same. To scare him off, perhaps. But the boy, though confused, didn't seem squeamish at all.

He tried again. "So _anyway_ -"

Merida gave an over-the-top groan. "Oh my God, take a hint! _Go away_!"

She started to turn back around to us, but the boy grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

Rapunzel stifled a laugh, knowing what was about to happen. Sure enough, Merida clenched her hands into fists, and within moments the boy found himself sprawling across the ground. I winced sympathetically, though he really should have expected it. This was _Merida_ he was dealing with, after all.

Then, to my surprise, he sprung lightly back to his feet. He smiled wickedly. "So you're not going to let me talk, then? Why don't you try _fighting me instead_?"

As he finished his last sentence, he kicked out, and landed a foot right in Merida's stomach. She took a split second to recover, before getting up. She glared at the boy from under her red curls.

"Oh, I'll fight you, Pan!"

Elsa and I took a hasty step away as the two of them were suddenly at each other's throats, kicking and punching and gods know what else.

Rapunzel, always the peacemaker, tried to stop the two of them.

"Merida, stop! If you fight him, you're only stooping to his level! Merida-!"

It was no use. Rapunzel sighed, and watched them for a second before giving up and running to get a professor.

It didn't take long before she'd found a couple of teachers, and brought them over to break up the fight. One of them was Cogsworth, and while he was a good teacher, I definitely didn't want to get on his bad side. Evidently, Elsa felt the same way and grabbed my hand to pull me towards the stairs. I didn't glance back as we hurried up the first flight of stairs, and we only began to slow when we'd reached the door at the top of Ravenclaw tower. We paused for a second to catch our breath, so I took the opportunity to ask if Elsa knew who the boy was.

She nodded. "Yeah. He's called Peter Pan. I don't know that much about him, but apparently he's really good at Quidditch and is going to try out for the school team. We're old enough now, you know."

"I know."

"So… do you think you'll try out?"

"What do _you_ think? Although-" I groaned. "Dad wanted me to get in. I'll probably have to go, and just make a complete fool of myself."

"Well, you could just lie to him."

I gave her a look. "Are you kidding? I'm a terrible liar."

Elsa shrugged, then turned towards the door. The bronze eagle stared down at us, asking a riddle as soon as I knocked on it.

"What can you catch, but not throw?"

I looked at Elsa, too tired to try and work out the answer. Luckily, she was slightly more awake than me, and spoke for both of us. "A cold."

The door opened, and I found myself smiling as I looked around our common room. It certainly was a sight for sore eyes, though I barely stayed there long enough to properly appreciate it. All I wanted to do was to get up to my room as fast as possible. My dorm, that is. I kind of thought of it as my room now, even more so than my actual bedroom back on Berk.

I said a quick goodnight to Elsa, and then went up to the first – _second_ – year boys' dorm. Wasabi was there, already in his pyjamas and reading in bed. I got changed as well, but skipped the reading step to go straight to sleep.

It barely took any time for me to drift off, but I still had time to think as I did so. What had Peter wanted ask Merida? Why come to us? What made us so special?


	13. They're quick, but I'm much faster

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 2, Chapter 2**

 **Jack**

"So did you have had Professor Smee at all last week?"

Naveen scraped the bottom of his bowl for porridge, and waited for an answer. It had been about a week and a half since the first day back, and I was sitting and talking with Flynn and Naveen. They were in third year now.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't had him yet, but I'm going to today. Is he nice?"

Flynn shrugged. "Yeah, he's okay."

"What about the rumours?" I asked. "Isn't everyone saying how he used to work for Pitch? Is it true?"  
Naveen set down his spoon. "Eh, I don't think so. Maybe everyone's just paranoid because of what happened with Gothel last year. He doesn't look like a servant of Pitch, anyway. My mother told me that they all have this look in their eyes… a cold black stare. Pitch can strike fear into the heart of any living thing."

"Why are you talking about him in present tense?" Flynn asked. "I thought they taught us that he faded out of existence after the dark ages."

"But then… what about Gothel?" I asked. "She had all this black sand stuff that she could control."

"Black sand?" asked Naveen. "You _saw_ it? I thought that was just a myth – that Pitch threw it at people and they were instantly paralysed by their worst fears. Gothel actually had it with her?"

"Yeah," I said. "She used it to pick up Rapunzel, even."

The three of us sat in silence for a second before Flynn cleared his throat.

"Well," he rose to his feet. "I'd better get to class. I have to beat Shang there or I owe him three galleons."

"Who's Shang?" I asked as I picked up my satchel. That was one of the problems of having friends older than me; I never knew the people that they talked about, and vice versa.

Naveen snorted. "A Gryffindor who thinks he's always right. Go and beat him at own game, Rider."

Flynn gave a mock salute. "Will do."

The first thing I had was Defence Against the Dark arts, so naturally I spent the whole lesson messing around and infuriating Professor Bunnymund. Well, I tried to. For some reason, nothing I'd done this year had annoyed him yet. Last year he'd threatened me with detention for incessantly tapping my quill on the desk, but now he wouldn't even bother to give me a warning look or anything. It was like he was immune.

After a class featuring little more than a worksheet on the mating habits of the Cornish Pixie, which made everyone snigger, I remembered that next on my timetable was History of Magic. It was a double period, so I'd have plenty of time to weigh up Smee. I arrived outside the classroom, groaning to myself when I realised that the class was a joint one between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. I wasn't complaining – the Gryffindors were way worse – but it _was_ pretty much impossible to do well in a class that had the smartest kids in the year in it.

We waited outside for a long time, waiting for Professor Smee to show up. I overheard someone say that he was fifteen minutes late before he finally appeared down the corridor. I nearly laughed when I first spotted him – he was shorter than me, had a belly that bulged right out from underneath his robes, and was attempting to balance a library's worth of books in his pudgy arms. He arrived at the classroom door, panting and sweating, and blinked at us from behind his glasses. He smiled.

"Well, good morning!" he said cheerfully, from under the piles of books and papers. "Now, would one of you mind grabbing my keys for me? They're just hanging off my belt."

One of the Ravenclaws, a girl called Honey Lemon, unhooked the keys from Smee's belt and held the out to him. The difference between the two of them was almost laughable. Honey Lemon had to bend over to even make eye contact with the professor.

Smee looked at the keys helplessly. "I'm dreadfully sorry, dear, but would you mind opening the door as well? My hands are a little full at present."

Honey Lemon obliged.

Professor Smee thanked her quickly, then ran inside. He just made it to the teacher's desk in time before he dropped the books all over it. He turned around to face us, and saw that we were all still waiting outside and watching him curiously.

"Oh! Come in, children!" he said, gesturing at us. "Take any seat you want!"

We spilled into the room, filling up the rows of desks. I made my way over to Elsa and Hiccup, hoping that they'd let me sit with them. I didn't know why I was still worried about that. It was second year, and the five of us had already established that we were more or less friends. I should have been able to just sit down next to them. So why did I still feel like an outsider?

Thankfully, Hiccup caught my eye and nodded. I sat down next to him and dumped my satchel on the desk. Elsa looked at me with mild disgust, but she didn't tell me to go away, so that was a bonus.

"Now, class!" Professor Smee clapped his hands. "I very much apologise for being late. You see, unfortunately I don't have a classroom to myself, and I had to bring you your textbooks."

A Ravenclaw, Wasabi, raised a hand. "But sir… we bought our textbooks at Diagon Alley before school started. We don't need those."

The professor peered at him over the top of his glasses. "Oh! Yes, yes, of course you did! However, those books are from the _old_ curriculum. These ones are more current."

A girl called Heather spoke without bothering to raise a hand. "So basically we bought those for nothing?"

"Er…" Smee looked flustered. "I suppose so, yes."

I groaned. That book had cost two whole galleons. Our whole family could have had dinner with that. I put my head down on the desk, causing Hiccup to looked over at me quizzically. I chose to ignore him; he had no right to pry into my family's financial situation. What would he care, anyway? His dad was the leader of a village, the lucky bastard.

Apparently some of the other kids weren't too happy about the waste of money either, as the classroom began to get louder with complaints.

The professor looked worried. "Children, please- I _am_ sorry about the books, but little can be done. Now… could I have a volunteer to hand these out? What about you? Ravenclaw girl, back row."

Elsa sat up straighter, and blinked. "Me?"

The professor nodded, and waited until Elsa had picked up the books before he started the lesson. "This semester we will be focusing on The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards…"

And he'd already lost me. I didn't listen to any of what was taught during the class, in fact, I'd tuned out so much that Hiccup had to kick me when it was over.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Sorry." He cringed. "But you're just sitting there. Don't you usually run out the door when the bell goes?"

I jumped up so fast that I knocked my chair backwards. "The bell went?"

"Well, not quite yet, but he let us out early."

"What are you waiting for then? Let's go!"

I snatched up my satchel, and dodged around the desks to get to the door.

"You forgot your textbook!"

I groaned, turning around and walking back across the corridor. In doing so, I nearly knocked over one of our new Slytherin prefects, a fifth year called Jasmine.

"Watch where you're going!" she yelled, straightening her headscarf.

"Sorry!"

I grabbed the textbook from Hiccup, and tried to run off to lunch. Once again, I was stopped.

"Jackson!"

It was Jasmine. I didn't know why, but apparently teachers and prefects loved to call me by my full name. All it did was remind me of when my parents were mad at me and wanted me to listen to them. I reluctantly turned around.

"What now?"

"You're in second year now, aren't you?" Jasmine asked.

"Yeah. Why do you care?"

"There's no need to be rude," she said, folding her arms. "I was going to ask if you'd like to join the quidditch team."

I brightened instantly. "Oh yes! When are the tryouts?"

"Tomorrow, actually. There was a screw-up with the dates and we've only just got the notices out. Will you be able to make it?"

"Absolutely! Are the tryouts just for Slytherin, or is it everyone?"

"Oh, everybody," Jasmine replied. "That's why I'm trying to gather more people up. Slytherin seems to be losing to Gryffindor an awful lot lately, so we want as many of us to try out as possible."

"Right. See you there, then!"

Realising that Hiccup was already gone, I took off down the corridor. I grabbed lunch from the great hall, and sprinted to the library. I wasn't overly happy about that being our meeting place, but there wasn't really anywhere else we could go. When I arrived, the other four were already there. I sat down with them.

"So, who's trying out for quidditch?"

Elsa groaned. "Does _everyone_ have to talk about quidditch all the time?"

"Yes," Merida said, taking a bite of a sandwich.

"Wait, I thought there was no food allowed in the library," I said. "Why are you eating?"

"Because," Merida replied, still chewing. "They made that rule so the books don't get messy. And, as you can see, I am not even holding a book. So it doesn't matter."

"What if someone told on you?" I asked, smirking.

" _You wouldn't dare_."

"Why wouldn't I dare?"

"Because I'd kick you in the-"

"Guys, please shut up," Rapunzel said, clearly tired of us arguing. "And as you wanted to know, Jack, I'm _not_ going to be trying out for quidditch."

I lost interest in the argument immediately. "You're not? But why? It'll be fun!"

"Yeah... for you, maybe. I don't really like heights."

I gasped. "Ohhh, right. Because of the tower. Got it now."

I looked at Elsa. "Are you trying out?"

"What do _you_ think?"

"You wouldn't be bad at it," I said hopefully. Yeah, maybe I was trying to compliment her. So what?

"Maybe I wouldn't be," she said. "Maybe I'd become a world champion or something. But I wouldn't enjoy it. I just don't see the point."

I sighed. "Fine then. Hiccup? You?"

He scratched his neck. "Yeah, I'm trying out. My dad said I have to."

I decided not to comment on that. Whenever I went near the subject of Hiccup's family, Elsa sent me death glares. It was like she was his guard dog or something.

Instead, I looked back at Merida. "Are you-?"

"Of course I'm trying out! And I'm going to get into the team and beat the crap out of Slytherin."

"Well, you'll have some pretty fierce competition," I said. "For example: me."

"Provided you get into the team," Merida sniffed. "Which I doubt."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I just find it hard to believe that-"

"Shut up!" Elsa and Rapunzel shouted in unison.

"Seriously though, do you have to argue about everything?" Rapunzel asked, as Elsa went back to her book. "You sound really childish, you realise."

"Well," said Merida. "I am about a month older than Jack, so if anyone sounds childish, it's him."

Rapunzel rested her face in her hands.

"Well actually, Merida, you're short enough for people to mistake you for... like a ten-year-old. I, on the other hand, am _over_ the average height for our age. So-"

"Oh yes, pull the "I'm taller than you" card. So original!"

"It _is_ true."

"You know, you might have more friends if you weren't this annoying."

"Says the girl who is literally trying to annoy me right this second."

"Ah yes, but I'm clearly not as annoying as you since I _do_ have friends."

"Hold up! I have friends!"

"Who are they, then?"

I faltered for a second. "Well... you guys."

"Think about it, Overland. _I_ am certainly not your friend, Elsa can't stand you, Hiccup is scared of you half the time, and Rapunzel is only nice to you because she's in Hufflepuff and that's what she does."

I breathed in. "Well, I... I'm friends with Flynn and Naveen too. So there."

Merida tilted her head. "But are you really? It's wouldn't be that they just took pity on the kid sitting alone at the Slytherin table. Course not."

I stood up sharply, clenching my hands into fists. "You don't know _anything_!"

It was too late. She knew she'd gotten the better of me, and smiled. "You see? You _don't_ have any friends. Because nobody wants to be friends with a good-for-nothing Slytherin!"

It was just as well we were interrupted at that moment, or I would have gotten us kicked out of the library for sure. But instead, a Gryffindor boy poked his head around the shelves of books and smiled when he saw us.

"Oh my God, I've been looking for you guys _everywhere_! And now Jack's with you too! Finally, all five in the one place!"

I blinked. The boy had appeared quite suddenly, and stood with his hands on his hips, clearly very sure of himself. He also had bright orange tufty hair, which clashed with his uniform.

Merida was already groaning. "Oh my goodness, Pan! I've told you already: _I don't care_. Whatever you want to say about the conspiracy theory, go and tell someone who actually wants to listen to your nonsense!"

"But Merida-"

"Go away!"

"Your family-"

Merida scowled at the boy, which was evidently threatening enough to scare him off. I'd heard some rumours about her punching someone in our first day back, and I now suspected that it had been this kid.

I stayed quiet for the rest of lunch, chewing over Merida's words in my mind. I was their friend, wasn't I? But then there was the doubt I'd felt earlier, that not-quite-sure feeling I'd had when I sat down with Hiccup and Elsa. Were they really just pitying me? And what about Naveen and Flynn?

I put my head down on my knees. This year was already way more stressful than the previous one, and that was saying something. I had _killed_ a person last year.

I payed absolutely zero attention in morning classes the next day. I spilled multiple potions, much to the exasperation of Cogsworth, and even managed to screw up a Wingardium Leviosa in Charms. My stomach was leaping around inside me, and it also didn't help that I kept changing mood as well. One minute I'd be absolutely positive that I'd get into the team, that I'd become the best player ever, and end up winning the world cup. Then the next minute I was practicing my last words, because I would be so bad at quidditch that I'd fall off the broom and most likely die.

When the time finally arrived, I waited in a group on the quidditch pitch with the other kids trying out. The existing house teams were there too, and we got sent split up to the one we belonged to. After that, we were even further separated into groups depending on which position we were trying out for. I had given this some thought, and had decided to aim for the top. I would try out for Seeker.

Surprisingly, there was only one other person from first year trying out for the position - Snotlout Jorgenson, the Berkian bully himself.

I tried not to make eye contact with him as I internally cursed myself. He must have threatened everyone else if they'd thought about trying for Seeker. I, for one, wasn't going to be pushed around by some conceited lump who smelled worse than a sewer. Oh yeah - Snotlout reeked. And it wasn't just his background, either. Because while I _had_ noticed that all six Berkians smelled a bit… odd (must have had something to do with their booming fishing industry), Snotlout's stink made your eyes water if you brushed up close to him. Yeuch.

After we were in our groups, the captain of each team came to speak to the kids trying out. I almost sighed with relief out loud when I saw the Slytherin captain was Jasmine Al-Hamed. She was _way_ nicer than some of the other older kids. That didn't stop her from being intimidating, though. I felt my heart beating faster as she paced in front of us, ready to instruct us as to what to do.

"Welcome to tryouts for the Slytherin quidditch team," she said. "This year's tryouts are going to be slightly different from those before. Not a big deal, though. You two! Seekers!"

I stood up straighter.

"First, I'll get you to fly a few laps around the pitch to test you for speed. Then my friend Aladdin, one of our beaters, will throw a couple of Bludgers at you. That'll test your ability to dodge, your endurance, and quite possibly your pain tolerance."

I cringed. Snotlout could definitely withstand more pain than me. I was beginning to doubt myself again.

Jasmine gave a smile, and put her hands on her hips before finishing her speech dramatically. "Then, if you aren't dead by that point, I will release the Golden Snitch."

I heard a few gasps, and may have let one out myself.

"You are to try and catch it, and not fall off your brooms." Jasmine grinned.

I picked up one of the school brooms, and jumped when I turned back around to see Snotlout staring at me. He sneered. "Bring it on, Overland. I am going to _kick your butt_."

He jabbed a finger at me with each syllable. I tried to ignore him, and mounted my broom.

"When do we start?"

Jasmine laughed. "Not so fast, Jackson. I know you're excited, but we're going to start with the other positions first."

I crossed my arms. There was a heap of other kids there, so I figured I may as well settle in to watch them try out.

There were three second year Slytherins (besides Snotlout and I) trying out, and none of them were really that good. Heather was okay, though she did seem a little wobbly while flying, and the twins were doomed to beat each other up before they even got into the air. To try out, they had to manage to get the quaffle from one end of the pitch and through one of the three golden hoops to score. The only problem was that they had to get past Naveen, whose teammates had given him the title "Best keeper Hogwarts has seen in 30 years". When he'd told me that earlier, I'd just rolled my eyes.

When everyone was in the air and hovering in a tense circle, Jasmine blew her whistle and tossed the quaffle up into the air. It was caught by one of the older students, but they lost it almost immediately when someone whacked them in the face. The two fighting students ended up hitting everyone but the twins and Heather as they fought over the ball, even knocking a few out of the air.

Heather, swooping low, caught the quaffle and began flying towards Naveen. When she was close enough to the hoops, she hurled the ball as hard as she could. I glanced at Jasmine, who was watching Heather's technique carefully, though she kept her expression neutral.

The quaffle sailed through the air but was immediately intercepted by Naveen. He threw it as far as he could towards the other side of the pitch. Tuffnut launched himself towards it, but he was going too high too fast. He missed the ball by miles, and only narrowly avoiding hitting some of the spectator seats.

Ruffnut, on the other hand, sped towards the falling ball. For a second, it looked like she'd catch it, but it turned out that she had issues with slowing down as well. She smacked into the ball head first, which sent it back into Heather's waiting grasp. The dark-haired girl wheeled around and threw it back at the middle hoop. Once again, Naveen got in the way and caught it. I laughed. He wasn't kidding about being the best keeper at Hogwarts. He could really fly.

This back-and-forth game went on for another few minutes until Heather managed to hit Naveen in the head. While he was out of action, she grabbed it again and finally scored.

The rest of the team, who had been laughing as this took place, took to the air in a green blur to break up the fight. All except Flynn, who flew off to help Naveen before the team needed to hold tryouts for a new keeper too.

When everyone was back with both feet on the ground, Jasmine congratulated Heather and had her stand in the line with the rest of the team. "Good job! Welcome to the Slytherin Quidditch team, new chaser!"

Heather smiled. Jasmine sent Naveen and the people that sustained injuries to the hospital wing. As they left, Naveen gave me a dazed smile and mouthed 'you'll be fine' before he left my fate in Jasmine's hands.

"Now that's over, we'll have the speed trial for you two," Jasmine said, pointing at me and Snotlout. "Race each other around the outside of the pitch. I'll be looking at your flying technique to see your potential."

Snotlout's jaw dropped. "Wait, so this isn't a time trial?"

Jasmine shook her head. Snotlout looked as if he was going to protest, but Jasmine interrupted.

"Mount your brooms. Ready? Three… two… one… GO!"

I pushed off from the ground, hard. It felt like I was being shot out of a canon as I rose into the sky. I pointed my broom forward and took off around, the wind whistling through my hair. My robes billowed out behind me. I gave a shout as I completed the first lap, Snotlout nowhere to be seen. Halfway through my second lap, I looked over my shoulder to try and find him, just as a black blur careened past me and crashed into one of the goalposts. I took the opportunity to weave in and out of the golden posts and through the middle hoop before continuing, earning a whoop of laughter from the team below. I completed my third lap and returned to the ground, with Snotlout finishing three minutes later. Jasmine gave me a thoughtful look and turned to whisper something to Aladdin. He in turn, gave a small grin. I savoured the moment – our house wasn't so evil after all.

"Now," Jasmine said. "For the next trial, I want all the people trying for beater to take one of the clubs from the pile."

She indicated a pile of heavy looking wooden clubs that I was sure hadn't been there at the start. A three of the older students grabbed a club. A fourth couldn't even lift one off the ground. Jasmine sent him back to the castle: "You need to swing these with significant power to knock a bludger off course. How can you do that if you can't even lift it?"

The group took to the air with Aladdin leading them, and showed them the proper way to hold the bat. One student accidently hit themselves in the head and had to be taken away to the hospital wing before Jasmine even released the bludgers.

Snotlout and I were ushered into the air again and hovered side by side as the remaining students lined up opposite us. I was nervous now. They looked ready to beat the living daylights out of us.

Jasmine gave us the go-ahead, and once again, I wondered why the heck I was putting my life in danger for a sport. I heard a less-than-manly scream from Snotlout as a bludger was hit at his head. I swerved sharply to avoid it and wheeled to face the line of beaters just as a bludger came speeding towards my ribcage. I rolled over in mid-air and straightened out just as a grunt of pain came from the boy beside me. Snotlout was holding his left arm close to his body, his face red with rage. Uh-oh. An angry Snotlout was a dangerous one, especially with speeding balls of death in the air. Jasmine yelled something at him that I couldn't hear over the wind in my ears. I flew closer to Snotlout to hear his reply.

"The sun was in my eyes, Jasmine! What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I can do that, but I don't have the time right now! I'm too busy kicking Overland's butt, but later, sure! How about we make a da-"

He would've continued, but someone hit a bludger at him. It was probably Aladdin - I got the feeling there was something going on between him and Jasmine. The bludger landed a solid blow in Snotlout's stomach. Aladdin couldn't have asked for a bigger target. The wind rushed out of Snotlout's lungs and he slipped off his broom, falling face-first in a puddle of mud on the ground. Jasmine called us back down to the ground, then dismissed the remaining people trying out for beaters. She turned to face me.

"I don't think we need to do the third trial to see who the better candidate is," she said. "Congratulations, Jackson. You'll make a great addition to the team. You have natural talent on a broom and a good head on your shoulders. Remember to use it in the upcoming game against Gryffindor."

She tossed me a set of green and silver robes as Flynn let out cheer. I looked at him and he gave me a crooked grin and a thumbs-up. I turned to go back to the castle when I heard a whooshing sound behind me. I recognised the sound of an approaching bludger and dove to the ground as the ball passed over me. It wheeled around for another attack but never got the chance as Aladdin dived on it and wrestled it back into its box. I rolled onto my back and leapt to my feet, glaring at Snotlout who stood there with a beater's bat in his hand and a cruel smile on his muddy face. I raised an eyebrow at him as Jasmine walked over, a small smile on her face.

"Well, Mr Jorgenson. You should've tried out for beater instead of seeker." She handed him his own set of robes.

"Welcome to the Slytherin, team you three," she said, looking at Heather, Snotlout and I. The team cheered and hoisted Heather and I onto their shoulders (Snotlout was too heavy) and paraded us into the Slytherin common room for a quidditch-team-only party.

I couldn't believe it. I did it. I was a seeker. Not just a seeker though, a seeker for the best quidditch team Hogwarts had ever seen. Nothing could stand in our way, not the Hufflepuffs, not the Ravenclaws… Not even those stuck-up Gryffindors.

I felt important. I felt free. I felt unstoppable.


	14. You're not safe here

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 2, Chapter 3**

 **Merida**

 _Dear Mum and Dad_

 _Sorry, I meant to write to you sooner, but I had a heap of schoolwork and other stuff. Also I just forgot. Sorry._

 _Remember how I told you that wizards have their own sports, like you guys have football and golf or whatever? Well, there's this one called quidditch which is kind of like basketball but with more hoops and you play it while flying on a broom._

 _Anyway, the school has a quidditch team and they had tryouts a few weeks ago. I made it in! So did my friend Astrid, who's in Gryffindor as well (that's the red one, Mum, I keep telling you). Jack got in too. He's the annoying one from Slytherin, which is the green evil house._

 _The person training us for quidditch is called Professor Toothiana and she asked us if we could get our hands on our own broomstick. See, the school does have some of its own brooms, but they're really old models and don't work very well. So… I was wondering if you could buy one for me. Toothiana wrote a note for all the muggle parents, so you know how to find and buy one. I've attached it behind this letter._

 _I think that's all. I'll see you at Christmas._

 _Love from Merida._

I read over the paper before folding it in half and stuffing it into an envelope. I tucked it into Sova's claws, and released her into the air.

Astrid looked up at the sound of fluttering wings. I was sitting with her and the other Gryffindor second years at breakfast, and had been trying to eat, write, and make conversation all at the same time. I had overslept.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked with a mouthful of egg. "I'm not going to have time to eat all this."

Astrid gave me a pointed look. "Are you kidding? Last time I woke you up, I got a bruise the size of a troll's head on my face. And it was right before Christmas, too, and my parents had to see it!"

"Do they really care?" asked Moana. "You're a Gryffindor. You're _going_ to get covered in bruises and scrapes. It comes with the territory."

Astrid snorted, and ate her last spoonful of porridge.

"So is quidditch practice fun?" asked GoGo. "You two always come back panting afterwards. And the Slytherin/Gryffindor match is tomorrow!"

"Aye, it's going great," I said. "We're so much better than we were before. I used to fall off the broom every two seconds, but now it's rare that it happens at all!"

"It's amazing that you got in, you know," said Eep. "Usually muggleborns have to train for years before they're good enough to play, but you managed it in second year!"

I shrugged. "Well, I have been riding a horse since I was six. That probably helped."

The five of us started as the bell for class rang.

"Damn it!" Moana muttered. "I think we have Charms first."

"We do." GoGo jumped up from her seat. "Then double Defence Against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaw."

Astrid groaned. She glanced over in the direction of the blue table, as if making sure we weren't being watched or listened to. "Why does it have to be Ravenclaw?"

"What's wrong with them?" I asked. My friends from Ravenclaw weren't so bad.

She rolled her eyes. " _Hiccup_. He's incredibly off-putting when I'm trying to concentrate in class."

We began walking to the Charms room as we continued our conversation.

"How is he off-putting?" asked Eep.

"Have you _seen_ him? Every time I look at him, he's already staring at me. It's creepy! _And_ , whenever I try and talk to him, he just turns red and mumbles at the ground! Would none of you find that annoying?!"

I tried not to grin as I remembered the conversation Jack and I had had with Hiccup at the train station. Unfortunately, Astrid saw my smirk.  
"What?" she demanded.

"You know he likes you, right?" I said, barely holding back a giggle.

"Of _course_ I know that!" she said in exasperation. "But he could at least _try_ and make it a little less obvious."

We'd arrived outside Charms, and I checked the corridors for Professor Toothiana. I caught sight of her multi-coloured robes sweeping down the far end of the hall. I would have normally told everyone to be quiet, but this was Toothiana. She didn't care if we gossiped - in fact, she sometimes joined in. Though she was very knowledgeable about magic, a lot of the time she seemed more like an excitable schoolgirl than a qualified professor.

Astrid continued. "Why are you even friends with Hiccup, anyway?"

"Um…" I racked my brains for the reason why we'd ended up in our current friendship group. "Well, I think what happened is that he was going to sit with you guys on the train, but Snotlout kicked him off. Elsa had already met him at Flourish and Blotts and felt sorry for him. And then no one else got a say in whether we wanted him to join us; it just happened."

We stopped talking at the sound of Professor Toothiana clapping her hands. "Alright, everyone! Come inside! Sorry I was a bit late, but then again, the quidditch match tomorrow isn't going to organise itself!"

The lesson was incredibly exciting, as we were learning about the fire-making spell. Of course, we weren't allowed to try it ourselves, but we did learn about its origins and its effects. It was tempting, seeing my wand lying there. All I had to do was pick it up, point it at my paper and shout _incendio_. I shot a glance at Moana, who was sitting next to me. She caught my eye, grinning. We were thinking the same thing.

"Do it. I dare you," she hissed.

I turned to Eep, sitting on my other side. She nodded.

I picked up my wand, checking my worksheet for the wand movement. I cleared my throat, raised my hand, and-

"Miss DunBroch!"

I jumped. Professor Toothiana stood behind me, her hands on her hips. I smiled sheepishly.

"Having a go at it, are you?"

I shrugged. "Well… I-I mean…"

"Why don't you come up the front?"

"What?"

Toothiana smiled. "If you're so keen to try the spell, why don't you come up and demonstrate it in front of the class?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Eep covering her smile with a hand. She thought I'd have to back down and admit I was breaking the rules, did she? Well, I'd show her!

"I'd _love_ to demonstrate," I said, standing up forcefully. I strode to the front of the classroom, glaring directly and anyone who laughed.

Professor Toothiana grabbed a piece of parchment from her desk, and scrunched it into a ball. Then, she placed it down on the flagstone floor. I gripped the wand in my hand.

"Incendio!" I yelled, moving the wand in the flame formation. The ball of parchment instantly caught alight, making a few students in the front row jump. I smiled. They thought I couldn't do it.

Toothiana smiled in delight, and put out the flames with an _aguamenti_. "Good job, Merida! That's five points to Gryffindor!"

I beamed as I took my seat again. If there had been another house in that class, someone probably would have complained that I'd gotten the points by breaking the rules. But we were all Gryffindors here. No one protested at all.

The lesson continued until everyone had completed the work. Toothiana checked the time and shrugged.

"We've still got ten minutes," she said. "So I guess you can talk amongst yourselves."

I began to turn my chair around so I could talk to Astrid behind me. However, I'd barely moved it an inch before someone else appeared at my side.

"Hi, Merida."

I groaned inwardly. It was Peter Pan.

"Was giving you a blood nose not enough to get the message across?" I asked. That incident had happened a couple of months ago now, but neither of us had forgotten it. He'd been trying to talk to me continually since then, so I'd gotten pretty good at shutting him up and sending him on his way.

He rolled his eyes at the mention of the nose. Even now, he was still mad that he'd let a girl get the better of him. "I've tried to tell you a billion times, but-"

" _I am not interested_ ," I said. "Go and tell your own friends!"

"But _Merida_ -"

"No!"

Peter scowled and kicked at my desk before going back to his own seat. I narrowed my eyes. I couldn't stand that kid.

Double Defence Against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaw was pretty uneventful, though I did learn all about _Petrificus Totalus_. I remembered what Astrid had said about Hiccup earlier, and paid close attention to him. Sure enough, he seemed to glance at her every two seconds. It was almost comical.

I couldn't have been more ready for the bell to ring, so when it finally did, I nearly knocked over my chair. I ran to the Great Hall, snatched up some food, and ate on the way to the library.

There wasn't much to talk about, so the five of us sat in silence for a while. I noticed Rapunzel absent-mindedly braiding her hair, which was good to see. Back when it was powerful, she barely used to touch it, and didn't even treat it like it was part of her. It seemed like some alien source of power that shouldn't be meddled with, so she kept it out of the way and never played with it.

Hiccup seemed distracted as he sketched in his leather-bound book. He eventually jumped up.

"I'm going to the toilet," he said.

I didn't take any notice, until I realised he'd left his notebook behind. Grinning, I picked it up. I'd never properly seen inside it before, but I was always intrigued as to what he kept in there. I looked up, hoping that no one was watching me. Thankfully, Elsa was too engrossed in her book to realise what I was doing, because she would have snatched it from me immediately. In fact, the only person who saw was Jack. He shuffled towards me, and gestured at me to open it.

It was strange. We weren't really that friendly toward each other normally, but were suddenly able to get along when we were looking through somebody else's private property. I guess that says a lot about us as people, doesn't it?

I flipped slowly through the book, Jack peering over my shoulder. There were a lot of mechanical-looking diagrams, which were all very neat and precise. There was a page with notes from class on it: a few scribbled spells, some historical people's names, and a picture of the Sorting Hat. I was nearing the end of the book when I stumbled upon a sketch of a person. Jack immediately put a hand out to stop me turning another page, and we studied the drawing in silence. It was a man, big and muscular with a beard. I didn't recognise it for a couple of seconds, but gave a small gasp when I did.

It was Hiccup's dad. I'd seen him at the train station at the end of first year. The reason why I hadn't recognised the picture at once was because Hiccup's dad hadn't smiled once when I'd seen him in person. I looked hard at the drawing. It seemed so lifelike; every part of it had been made with the utmost care, especially the eyes. He seemed to show several emotions at once. He looked straight ahead, his eyes crinkled in laughter, but simultaneously solemn with pride.

I let the book fall closed, which earned me a shove from Jack. He signalled for me to keep looking through it, but I didn't feel like I could any more. It was too private. I placed the notebook back where Hiccup had been sitting and ignored Jack's look of disgust. Neither of us said anything when Hiccup returned.

It was only shortly after he came back that I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turning around expecting to see one of the other Gryffindor girls, or even a teacher maybe.

Nope.

It was Peter. _Again_.

"What is your issue?" I said, leaping to my feet. "Just leave me alone!"

"No! I have to tell you something!"  
" _I. Do not. Care_."

"But-"

Suddenly Rapunzel was beside, and interrupted the conversation. "That's it! I've had it with you two! Don't think I haven't noticed; you've been at each other for _months_! What's going on?"

"Peter keeps harassing me," I said matter-of-factly.

"I'm trying to tell you about Smee!"

I clenched my hands into fists, and got ready to hit him. Rapunzel placed a hand on my shoulder.

"No violence, thank you," she said. "And maybe we should just hear Peter out."

" _Thank you_!" he said loudly.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. But don't expect me to care."

Peter crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I think you'll care."

I grunted. "Well, hurry up, then."

Peter breathed out. "Okay. So. I came to tell you guys this since, you know, you were the ones who defeated Gothel last year."

"Hurry _up_."

"Have you heard the rumours that Smee used to work for Pitch?"

Rapunzel nodded. "I've heard them. But they're not true. Everyone's just overreacting because of the History of Magic position. Besides, Smee is way too nice to be a dark wizard."

Peter grinned. "But the rumours _are_ true. Or at least partially. Smee didn't work for Pitch directly. He worked for _Captain James Hook_."

I'd never heard that name before, probably since I was muggleborn, but Rapunzel gasped. And Hiccup, who I'd thought was still sketching, butted into our conversation.

"Captain Hook? Smee worked for _him_?"

Peter, pleased to have us all under his spell, rubbed his hands together. "Not _worked_ , past tense. As far as I know, Smee still works for him!"

Jack, apparently also eavesdropping, looked skeptical. "Oh really? Why should we believe you?"

Peter looked uncomfortable. "Let's just say I have a… history with Captain Hook. And you have to believe me, because Merida's family is in danger!"

"My family?" I said. "What do you know about them?"

"Well, you _are_ muggleborn, aren't you?"

"Yes," I said. "But what danger?"

Peter sighed. "Here's the thing – Hook believes that the muggle world and the wizarding world should be kept as far apart from each other as possible. He wants everyone to stick to their own kind. And of course, your family has been introduced to magic through _you_. They know about wizards, even though they're not magical themselves. They're the perfect target for Hook."

I looked down. I felt almost bad that I'd been shrugging off Peter all this time. My family's lives could be at stake.

"Would he kill them?" I asked.

Jack snorted. "Are you kidding? He's Captain Hook! Of course he'll kill them!"

My heart sped up. I tried to keep my voice from shaking. "Okay then. What can I do about it?"

"They're safe for now," Peter said. "According to what I've heard, Hook is in London at the moment. That's miles away from Scotland."

"But he can apparate, can't he?" I said, my voice rising. "What's to stop him from just… appearing there?"

Peter gave a dark smile. "That I do know. There's a family – they're my cousins actually – who live in London. The Darlings. They know about wizards because of me. They're his next victims."

"Alright then," I said. "What do you want us to do? You said you came to us because we defeated Gothel."

"Yes," said Peter. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I need to bring them to Hogwarts. My cousins."

"How are we supposed to do that?" asked Jack. "Why can't you do it?"

Peter groaned in exasperation. "Because Hook knows me! He'll… I don't know, sniff me out or something. The moment I arrive in London, he'll find me and kill me. Someone needs to go who's never met him before. And I assume none of you five have?"

We all shook our heads.

"Excellent. I have a map here… one of you Ravenclaws can be in charge of it. Here, Elsa."

Elsa took the grubby map gingerly.

"They live in Bloomsbury," Peter finished.

"What are their names?" asked Elsa.

"There's Wendy – she's about our age, maybe a bit younger. Then John is nine, I think. He'd be in Ravenclaw if he was a wizard. Then Michael's the youngest; he's around five."

Elsa nodded, and looked up as if committing the names to memory.

"So, um… How are we going to get them to Hogwarts?" Hiccup asked.

Peter shrugged. "I don't know. It's not my problem anymore."

And just like that, Peter Pan exited the library. The five of us were left staring at the door.

" _Rude_ ," muttered Hiccup under his breath.

I nodded.

"So. How do we get to London?" I asked.

"Well, it would be great to apparate," Elsa said. "But we're not old enough, so that's out."

"What about Floo powder?" asked Hiccup.

Jack shook his head. "Even the Slytherins don't know where the school keeps it, or if even if they have any at all."

"Damn it." I looked around at my friends. "It'll have to be on a broom, then. That'll take a while, too. Only one of us should go, since a larger number missing is more suspicious, especially if it's for several hours."

"Speaking of several hours," said Rapunzel. "How long would the trip take?"

"Well, how fast do brooms go?" asked Jack.

Hiccup wrinkled his nose. "The ones we use go about sixty miles per hour. That's nothing compared to, say, a Nimbus 2000, but they _are_ cheap school ones."

Elsa joined in. "I've looked it up before, and it's about five hundred and fifty miles to London from here. That means…" She groaned. "That means it's about a nine-hour flight."

We all took a moment to reflect on what nine hours of nonstop flying would do to a person. It did not sound fun.

"Oh," said Rapunzel, sounding almost ill. "It's actually not nine. We're flying to London _and back_. That's eighteen hours."

" _Crap_ ," I muttered.

A few more calculations told us that if we left Hogwarts at one o'clock in the morning, we'd be back by seven at night at the earliest. Everyone was growing less and less excited to take the flight, since whoever it was would be alone. In the sky. For eighteen hours.

We also decided to carry out our plan the very next day. It was the day of the big Gryffindor/Slytherin quidditch match, so a lot of the school would be distracted. The perfect time for someone to be absent for most of the day.

Finally, I had to ask the inevitable question.

"So. Who's going to fly to London?"

"Either you or Jack, I assume," said Rapunzel, crossing her arms. "You two _are_ the best fliers."

I shook a piece of hair out of her face. " _No_. Me and Jack'll be playing in the quidditch match! Peter too. If we're not there, it'll raise suspicion. It has to be one of you three."

Elsa, Hiccup, and Rapunzel looked at each other.

"Well?" I said.

Rapunzel sighed. "I'm probably not the best cut out for this. I still don't really like heights, I'm not a great flier, _and_ I have the most friends outside of our five."

"You have the most friends?" asked Jack. "What has that got to do with it?"

"More people to notice I'm missing."

Shrugging, Jack turned to Elsa and Hiccup. They looked almost terrified, poor lambs.

"Sooo…" he smirked. "Will it be Ravenclaw one or Ravenclaw two?"

Neither of them said a word, both too polite to volunteer the other.

"You know," Elsa said. "I'm really not all that good at flying either. I don't really think I should go."

Hiccup shot her a betrayed look.

"Okay, then," said Rapunzel brightly. "Why don't you go, Hiccup? You're not bad on a broom. In fact, I really do think you're getting better."

"Where'd you get that idea?" Hiccup asked. "And no! I don't want to do it!"

I folded her arms. "Do you have any reason not to?"

Hiccup looked in Elsa's direction, pleading for help. I ignored it.

"Well, that's settled then!" I said, smiling. I clapped Hiccup on the back, which made him flinch. "You'll be saving the Darlings."

There was a pause. Then Hiccup grinned. "Actually, no."

I groaned. "What do you mean, _no_? You're going and that's that."

"No. I'm not. At the start of this year, my dad said that I'd be in serious trouble if the school wrote home about me. And I'm sorry, but there's about a billion things that could go wrong involving this "rescue mission". If a teacher found out, they'd be able to write him a letter a mile long."

Trying to shrug it off, I shook my head. "Hiccup, _everyone's_ parents would get mad if they found out. That's the whole idea: we won't get caught."

Hiccup glared at me.

I glared right back.

"…Well," said Rapunzel, after neither of us showed any sign of relenting. "We could always get someone completely different to do it. Tiana, maybe?"

Jack shook his head. "The fewer amount of people we tell, the better. It needs to be one of you three."

I saw Elsa look at Hiccup again, her expression suddenly guilty. It made sense. I mean, she probably _was_ more capable than him for this flight. She wouldn't get in nearly as much trouble if she got caught. She would be better with the younger kids, because she had a sister. She wouldn't even get cold on the way.

I didn't say anything, because I didn't mind watching Hiccup suffer, but I could see Elsa was weakening. Any minute, she'd say something. I could just _tell_.

Sure enough, she relented. "I'll go instead!"

Four heads turned in her direction.

"You're _volunteering?_ " asked Jack incredulously. He shook his head. "Well, whatever. Just make sure you get up in time. We don't want you to screw up our one shot at getting this done."

I glared at him, crossing my arms.

There was a sound of toppling books and a red-faced Astrid ran into view. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hiccup look down at his book almost _too_ quickly. I smirked. Astrid put her hands on her knees and stayed bent over, trying to catch her breath for a few minutes before she finally straightened.  
"Merida, Shang scheduled a last minute practice for tonight at seven." I rolled my eyes. Shang was an idiot. He'd already made one for the morning before the game and  
"How is it a 'last minute practice'," I said, making quote marks in the air, "if we have one at seven in the morning too?"

"Nah, he called that off in favour of a sleep in," Astrid said. I rolled my eyes.  
"What are you all even doing here? It's lunch and you're in the library. I expected that from Hiccup and Elsa, Rapunzel maybe, but not Merida or Jack." I noticed Hiccup went pink when Astrid mentioned his name, and I smiled to myself. "Anyway, I have to go find Peter and Pocahontas and tell them what our captain has done now." With that, she ran off.  
Jack immediately turned to face Hiccup. "Soooo…" he drawled. "What's going on between you and Astrid?"  
Hiccup went even redder and mumbled something no one caught.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Did you just profess your undying love for Miss Hofferson? If so, I should've recorded it." Jack smirked.

Hiccup jumped to his feet, fists clenched, but Elsa beat him to it.

"Oh my _God_ , Jack! Leave him alone! Why do have to make fun of _everyone you talk to_?"

The temperature in the room had dropped significantly. I shivered, hoping either of them would take the hint. They didn't notice.

Jack looked stunned for a second before narrowing his eyes. "I-"

"No! Shut up! I am not going to let you keep doing this! I've had enough!"

Jack opened his mouth again, but Rapunzel stopped him. "Okay guys, leave it there. Go and cool down… so to speak."

Elsa stood down, glaring over her shoulder as she stormed out of the library. Hiccup gave a half-hearted laugh. "Well. Uh, I better… um… go. I guess. Yeah."

He took off after her. After watching the door close behind him, I spun around to face Jack. I must have looked fierce, because he took a step back.

"Why do you always ruin everything?!" I yelled. "Every time you're with other people, you start fighting with them! I look forward to the times when you're not around, so we can go more than a few minutes without people yelling and getting upset! Can't you just be kind for once? Be quiet, maybe? Hold your tongue?"

Jack straightened his back. He looked at me stonily, muttering "Why don't _you_ be quiet and hold _your_ tongue."

I rolled my eyes. "Out of insults, are we? It figures – everyone knows you're not that smart."

Jack gave a cold laugh. "What?"

"I've seen your classwork. You can barely spell! And your handwriting is atrocious!"

Jack's eyes widened. He seemed almost panicked before he started glowering. "You shut up!"

Rapunzel, evidently giving up on the situation, hurried toward the library exit. I took a few steps that way myself, before looking back at Jack one last time.

"We should've known better than to make friends with a Slytherin."

I didn't see him for the rest of the day, and I didn't want to either.

I breezed through the rest of my classes, not really caring when I almost set fire to Professor Bunnymund's bushy eyebrows.

Quidditch practice was enough to lift my spirits. The feeling of flying reminded me of riding Angus in the woods back home. Shang was working us harder than ever. The entire team was bone tired when, covered in mud and freezing, we made our way back to the warm fires of the common room. That night, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, dreaming of the quidditch match and the obvious victory Gryffindor would have.

 _I'll show Slytherin_ , I thought. _Jackson Overland is going to pay._


	15. It's the same as having wings

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 2, Chapter 4**

 **Elsa**

I decided that it would be too hard to wake myself up by one in the morning, so I made the choice not to go to sleep at all. It sounded like it was going to be impossible until I went searching in the library after dinner, and found a book of potions. I flipped through it out of vague interest, and then was pleasantly surprised when I came across something called the Wideye potion. Apparently, when consumed, it prevented the drinker from falling asleep and could also be used to awaken someone from drugging or concussion.

I assumed that the concussions it was used against had to be normal ones, and not magically-induced, otherwise Hiccup and Rapunzel would have had no need to stay asleep for so long after our fight with Gothel last year. I also presumed that the hospital wing would have some of it somewhere, although they'd use it for medical purposes, and I'd be using it for… keeping myself awake for an unnatural length of time so that I could rescue three children from a murderous dark wizard.

I sighed. I didn't love the idea of having to steal from the hospital, but it was for a good reason. If I succeeded. If I didn't… well, I didn't want to think about that.

After waiting in a broom closet for ten minutes while Madam Nedakh and an older student had a conversation, I was finally able to get into the hospital storage room. Thank heavens all the potions were in alphabetical order, or I would have been there all night.

I found the potion pretty quickly, the picture of an eye on the label distinctive among the other scrawled tags. It was a pretty small bottle – I'd have to drink all of it if I wanted it to take effect. Once I'd tucked it into my sleeve (and noticed in relief that there were multiple bottles of it) I slipped out of the room, along a few corridors, and into the girls' toilets. I locked myself into a cubicle, and held up the bottle in front of me. Biting my lip, I uncorked it.

The Wideye potion didn't taste as bad as I'd been expecting, and I noticed already that my eyelids felt less heavy. I looked wildly around for a place to dispose of the glass bottle and cork, eventually settling on flushing it down the toilet.

I placed the bottle on the floor, then crushed it with my heel. Praying that it wouldn't hurt too badly, I scooped up the shards and dumped them into the toilet bowl. I pulled the chain, making sure all the pieces were gone before leaving the bathroom.

I ran all the way up to the Ravenclaw common room, glancing over to the clock before sitting down on a lounge. It was only a quarter to nine.

" _Oh, come on_ ," I muttered. I'd have to pass the time until one in the morning.

"What is it?" Hiccup sat down next to me.

"Nothing."

"Okay." He stared into middle distance, kicking at the carpet. After a pause, he turned to me. "So are you nervous?"

I shrugged.

Hiccup continued. "Because I've been thinking… this is actually really dangerous. You'd be essentially kidnapping three kids, who might not even be willing to come. You're flying alone for nine hours, and then with inexperienced muggle kids for another nine. And on top of that, you're going up against _James Hook._ "

"Thanks for that."

"No, I mean… are you sure you want to go? Because _I_ can, if you want."

I shook my head. "Hiccup, it's fine. I've-" I lowered my voice slightly, in case anyone was listening. "I've already taken some Wideye potion anyway."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"It'll keep me awake for eighteen hours."

"Right. So then, if you're _sure_ you don't want me to go-"

"I'm sure."

"-then what am I supposed to say when someone asks me where you are?"

One of the prefects shouted from across the room that it was time to go to bed. I stood up, shrugging off Hiccup's question. "I don't know, make something up."

"What?! Elsa, I'm a terrible liar!"

"Then just say you don't know. I'll explain myself when – _if_ – I get back."

Hiccup grimaced. "Don't say 'if'. You'll be fine."

I rolled my eyes. "You just gave me a list of reasons why I won't be, Hiccup. Now _goodnight_."

He sighed. "Okay. Bye."

I climbed the stairs to the second year girl's dorm, and got changed into my nightdress. I knew I'd have to get back into normal clothes later, but didn't want to raise suspicion from the other girls.

The night was as boring as I'd imagined it would be. I had no desire to sleep at all, and could only lie in bed with my eyes wide open. I stared at the ceiling, muttering song lyrics under my breath, and checking the clock every few minutes. The hours dragged on incredibly slowly, and already I was feeling terribly nervous. And that wasn't the only feeling, either. There was also this odd tingling in my fingertips, and my breathing was also getting faster. It must have been the Wideye potion kicking in for good, since I'd normally be asleep by now.

I had that anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach as well, probably because of all the possible dangers that Hiccup had listed echoing around in my head. Along with that, I could hear that the wind and rain were picking up outside. It wasn't the cold I was worried about – that didn't bother me – but I was nervous that I'd get knocked off the broom. It wasn't like I'd practiced flying that much. I wasn't a quidditch player. Being sodden with rain wouldn't be fun either.

When the clock had finally reached twelve-thirty AM, I pulled off my blankets and got out of bed. I put on my uniform (minus the tie, robes and skirt, and plus a pair of trousers), and picked up my wand. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror, taking a deep breath. I was as ready as I'd ever be. I found the map in my dresser, and tucked it into my trouser pocket.

I hurried through the common room, slightly worried that the eagle on the door would stop me. It didn't, though, as soon I was hurrying down the spiral staircases and creeping through the dim hallways. I was hoping not to bump into anyone, but the chances of that were slim if you considered there were not only students, but teachers and talking paintings.

Sure enough, I caught sight of someone as they were emerging from the first-floor girls' bathroom. I gulped. I could pretend that I was going to the bathroom easily enough, but how could I explain why I was wearing my uniform and not pyjamas?

With a gasp, I realised that the person was our head girl, Ariel. I tried to turn back, but it was too late. She'd seen me.

At first, all she did was give a smile. But then she took in my odd clothing and worried expression, and walked up to me.

"Are you okay? What house are you in?"

I realised that without my tie and robes, I couldn't be identified as a certain house. I decided not to tell her – if she couldn't tell who I was, I wouldn't get in trouble for it. It was too dark for her to see me properly, anyway.

"Uh, I'm fine," I said.

Ariel nodded, though she didn't seem quite convinced. "Why are you in your uniform?"

I looked down as if I'd only just noticed what I was wearing. "Oh! I… I haven't gotten my pyjamas back from the wash yet. I figured It'd be okay to wear my second uniform to bed."

"Right. Well. All yours." She gestured at the bathroom, then began to walk back to the Hufflepuff common room. I hid in the bathroom until I could be certain she was gone, and then once again began my hurried journey through the castle.

I got to the broom storage room fairly quickly, and had no trouble opening the door with an _alohomora_. I took one broom for myself, then three for the Darlings. Actually, on second thoughts… the youngest one would probably need to fly with someone else, so I put the fourth broom back.

Next stop: the kitchen. I was counting on the house elves being kind enough to supply me with food, otherwise I'd have to waste even more time by dropping down to the ground a few times to steal some there.

I ran down the stairs to the basement, and paused at the door to the kitchen. I realised I'd never actually come here before, and so had no idea what the kitchen looked like inside. I knew there were house-elves, but I'd never even spoken to one before. I took a deep breath, and the slowly pushed open the heavy wooden door.

The kitchen glowed with warmth, which made me squint after growing used to the dark hallways and staircases. Along with the yellow-orange light, there was a delicious smell in the air, something I couldn't quite place. One second I found myself thinking of melty chocolate chip cookies, and the next I would suddenly be reminded of spaghetti and Bolognese sauce.

Looking around I could see mounds of pots and pans, as well as a huge fireplace at one end. Five tables, which I assumed corresponded to the house and teacher tables in the Great Hall, lay across the middle of the room. But my attention was barely on any of these. Instead, I was focused on the dozen or so house elves that scurried about the room, polishing dishes, stirring pots and all sorts of things. None of them had seen me – I suppose they wouldn't have expected to at this time of night – so I would have to suffer through every introvert's nightmare: drawing attention to myself.

I knocked on the inside of the door softly, hoping to catch the ear of maybe one or two elves. But no. Every single one of them hear me, and I suddenly found myself looking into a silent kitchen with every pair of eyes turned towards me.

I probably died a little inside, but I held my ground. I was going to have to kidnap children later today. This was nothing.

"Excuse me," I said. "Would you happen to have any spare food that I might be able to have… preferably without any professors knowing?"

A small, sort of grey house elf stepped forward, its eyebrows upturned in question. "Pardon asking, miss, and Dusty is dreadfully sorry if Dusty is prying, but would miss mind telling the house elves of her name?"

"My name?" The elf nodded. "Oh. I'm Elsa. And you are… Dusty?"

The house elf nodded shyly. I smiled, holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Dusty."

Dusty blinked, then slowly reached out their own hand. I shook it.

The other house elves had apparently gone back to their jobs, so I took the opportunity to get back on task. "So… any chance I could have any food?"

"How much food would Miss Elsa be needing?"

"Maybe enough for three meals or so?"

Dusty nodded eagerly. "Three meals is easy. Dusty can find enough food for that."

The house elf immediately scuttled off, but I lost sight of them after they disappeared into the crowd of others.

I waited anxiously by the door, occasionally catching a glimpse of the little grey elf darting between others. In about thirty seconds, Dusty returned. They were holding a bundle of white cloth, knotted at the top.

Dusty placed it in my outstretched hands. "Inside is the food. Dusty hopes Miss Elsa enjoys."

I thanked the house elf, and then left the kitchen. Stopping outside, I opened the bundle to check what was inside it. There was a carrot, an apple, four cookies, two sandwiches, and a scone.

I smiled, and picked up the three brooms. It was time to fly.

I'd almost forgotten it was stormy, but was brutally reminded of that as soon as I opened one of the back doors. A blast of cold, wet air smacked into me, making me splutter. How was I going to be able to hold onto the food and two extra brooms in these conditions?

I put all the stuff on the ground, and yelled 'up' to the least shabby broom. It rose to about waist height, and hovered shakily in the wind. I picked up the food bag and tied it to the broom just in front of where I would sit. After testing my knot with a yank, I looked to the other brooms. What to do with them?

Perhaps they could be attached to either side of my broom? After a second's hesitation, I ripped off one of my shirt sleeves and wrapped it around all three handles. I pulled the knot tight, and then climbed onto my triple broom. It seemed pretty steady. I was ready.

I pushed off from the ground, the rain stinging my face, and the wind lifting my braid up. I spat loose hair out of my mouth and leaned down, keeping my body close to the broom. I kept rising higher, and was eventually flying just below the clouds. I pulled the map that Peter Pan had given me out of my pocket, making sure to hold onto it in the wind. As far as I knew I was going in the right direction, so I rested my elbows on the broom handles in front of me and settled in for a long, long flight.

The rain and wind didn't let up, and showed no signs of doing so in the near future. After only a few minutes in the air I was completely saturated, and after a few _hours_ – let's just say I no longer had any doubts about my decision to go in Hiccup's place. Anyone who wasn't me or Jack would have frozen to death by now.

I was glad when the sun started to rise – not because I _needed_ to be warm, but because I _wanted_ to be. Having the ability to withstand the cold was useful, sure. But it was unsettling, knowing that other people would die in temperatures that I could survive in easily. It made me feel… not quite human.

I knew that the sun rose at about seven at this time of year, which meant I had about three hours before I arrived in London. I decided that now was as good a time as any to eat something, so I untied my food bag and took out a sandwich and two of the cookies.

The rest of the journey passed quicker, since I had more to look at now that the sun was up. It was still pretty dark, because of all the clouds, but now I could see the ground below me. There were a few buildings here and there, but mainly forests and lakes and open fields. A flock of birds flew underneath my broom, which gave me a moment of slight nausea. For the first time since I started flying, I could see how high up I was. And it was kind of scary, knowing that simply leaning too far in one direction would send me falling through the sky and then splattered on the ground. I swallowed. Maybe it would be best not to look down.

It had been about three hours after the sun came up, and I was now flying over London. It had started raining again, or perhaps I had just flown back under the clouds. Whatever. Either way, I was starting to get wet again, even though I'd hardly dried off from last time.

I slowed down considerably as I neared the approximate location of the Darlings' house. I also dropped lower down, scanning the houses and streets for something that looked like it matched the map. I was also trying to stay out of sight at the same time, which made searching properly a difficult task.

I gave up after a few minutes of precariously hovering, and flew down to the ground. I touched down in a park, stumbling a bit when I hit the ground. It felt odd to stand again after nine hours in flight, and I had a second of light-headedness before everything cleared up. I heaved my three brooms over my shoulder, looped my arm through the food bag, and shook out the slightly damp map. I figured I was in the empty green section, which meant I only had a block of houses to walk around before I was there. I shrugged. Not bad at all.

I began to walk out of the park, kicking at some dead leaves on the ground as I did so. It was as I walked past a family having a picnic that I realised how odd I must have look. A soaking wet girl with unnaturally blonde hair wearing half a school uniform holding three broomsticks tied together with her own sleeve. Because _that's_ how you blend in with muggles.

I was almost at the Darlings' house, in fact I could _see_ the front door, when I heard a crunch of leaves from behind me. I turned my head, and what I saw pretty much gave me a heart attack.

It was Captain James Hook, exactly the same as he looked in the books – curly black hair, greasy moustache, and of course the wicked, shiny, silver hook.

For a horrifyingly long moment, our eyes met. I could almost see myself reflected in his pupils, looking small and terrified. He sneered, a juddering laugh rising in chest in his chest. Then, in a scrape of metal, he raised his hook above his head.

That's what brought me back to my senses, the light glinting off the metal. I became aware of what was happening again, I could feel my feet on the ground, the cold autumn wind, and my wet clothes. I gathered my wits together, and _bolted_.

My feet were loud on the paved road, and with every step I had to resist the urge to turn around to see where Hook was. He was probably right behind me: the only reason why I had any chance at all was because I slipped out from under him when he hadn't expected it.

As I approached the Darling house, I realised that I'd probably dropped Peter's map in my hurry to get away. However, I did remember one important note that he'd scribbled on the side. The nursery of the Darling house was three floors up. In a split second decision, I jumped onto my triple broom and rose into the air abruptly, floating away from Hook and towards the nursery window. I heard Hook's yell of anger, but even then I refused to look back. I kept straight on at the window, which to my relief was open.

I just managed to squeeze through the gap, and sent books, teddy bears, toy soldiers, and even a porcelain doll flying across the carpet when I landed. It made an enormous noise, which gave way to dead silence. I was lying face down on the ground, and I raised my head cautiously to see if the Darlings were anywhere in sight.

They were.

They were right in front of me, staring in shock. The youngest one clung to Wendy's dress.

I sprang up from the ground as lightly as I could, holding my brooms and the miraculously-still-intact food bag in my hands. I tried to give a reassuring smile, which probably came across as creepy more than anything else.

I cleared my throat, dropping the food bag to offer my hand to shake.

"Hello," I said. I decided to summarise my reason for visiting as fast as possible so that we could get going. I didn't want Hook showing up and killing everyone, after all. "Your cousin Peter sent me to bring you three to our magical school. You see, there's an evil wizard waiting to kill us, and he's just out on the street. We'd best be going now before he catches you. And me."

Wendy blinked. "What's your name? And why does the wizard want to kill us?"

I shook my head, and began to undo the sleeve that tied the brooms together. "We'll have time for introductions later. Hook wants to kill any muggles who are aware of the magical world's existence. He believes they should stay separate."

"Oh." I passed Wendy a broom, which she turned over to examine. "Yes, I suppose we do know a thing or two about wizards. Peter tells us lots of stories."

The little one, Michael, nodded in agreement. "He does! I remember there was one about a dragon, and-"

"That's really excellent, I'm sure," I said, feeling bad for interrupting him. "But we _really_ need to move it. Wendy and John, you'll be flying your own brooms. What you're going to want to do is angle yourself forwards and think about what you want it to do."

"And that'll work?" asked John.

"Hopefully," I said. "I mean, you _are_ muggles, but I don't see any major problem there. They're also crappy school brooms, but they weren't too bad on the way. You'll be fine."

John looked overwhelmed. "Okay."

"What about Michael?" Wendy asked. "We're not going to leave him behind, are we?"

"No!" I said. "He's too small for his own broom, so he can come with me instead."

I reattached my food bag to my broom, and then mounted it. "Alright then. Sit down on it like so, and hold on tight."

John and Wendy straddled their broomsticks, watching me intently. I picked up Michael, and sat him down in front of me. That way I could hold onto him and stop him from falling off.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Wait!" yelped Wendy. "Are we leaving Bloomsbury forever?"

"What? No!" I said impatiently. "This is a temporary arrangement. You'll come back. Now are you ready?"

The two older siblings nodded. I grinned. "Okay then! Lean forward, think about flying, and _jump_!"

The three brooms shot out the window, mine and Michael's first, followed closely by Wendy's, and then John's.

I glanced down, but Hook was only a blur of red on the ground. He seemed so insignificant from up here.

I looked behind me, beckoning to the older siblings. "Follow me! We're going to Hogwarts!"


	16. I will beat the odds

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 2, Chapter 5**

 **Jack**

That night I couldn't sleep. My first quidditch match was tomorrow. Thoughts of the upcoming game were flying around in my head and making it impossible to sleep. I tried everything I could think of, even trying to count sheep like I taught Emma to do when she couldn't sleep, but nothing was working. At around two, I gave up on sleeping and got up, making my way past a snoring Snotlout, out into the common room. Because of the room being right under the black lake, it shone with an eerie green light that made everything look like something from a ghost story. Throwing myself into a chair before the fading fire, I put my head in my hands and tried not to throw up.

What would happen if I wasn't actually any good at quidditch? What if I was the reason Slytherin lost to Gryffindor, again. What if I let down my team? Jasmine, Aladdin, Flynn, Naveen, they were all counting on me. I sat in front of the fire, thinking, and watching all the colours fade away.

I guess I managed to fall asleep, as the next thing I knew, I was lying on the couch, face down, a crushing weight pinning me down.

"Get off me, you jerk!" I groaned at Naveen, who had plonked himself down on my back. "Your butt is crushing me!"

Naveen laughed as I finally managed to shift him off me and sit up.

"Come on, blondie. Time to eat and then wipe Gryffindor's name off the quidditch cup."

Flynn had come up behind me and was leaning against the back of the chair. I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"My hair isn't blonde," I said indignantly. "It doesn't take a Ravenclaw to see that."

Flynn just laughed and helped Naveen drag me back to my dorm.

"We will definitely win the match if you play dressed in your pyjamas. The Gryffindors won't be able to score, given how hard they'd be laughing."

I glared at Flynn and slammed the dorm door in his face.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was even louder than usual. Everyone was ecstatic to see either Gryffindor crush Slytherin to a pulp or see Slytherin absolutely demolish the scarlet and gold team.

The only one who wasn't excited was me.

While Flynn and Naveen were busy piling my plate with eggs, bacon, toast, and sausages in an attempt to get me to eat, I just looked down at my hands resting in my lap.

"You okay? You're even paler than usual. Are you going to be sick?"

"If you're going to puke, do it on Hans' plate." Flynn interjected, gesturing at an older Slytherin boy with red hair. "He's being a downright git."

I gave them a small grin and began pushing my food around on my plate, still too nervous to eat more than a few mouthfuls.

Too soon Jasmine stood up and was calling the team to attention. "Slytherin team, let's move!" I stood up ready to leave, but the headmaster had other ideas. He stood up and surveyed us from the teacher's table with his piercing blue eyes. He burst into a grin.

"I want to wish you all the best in today's game," he said, his Russian accent reverberating around the hall. "May the very best team win!" He sat down again and a volcano of noise erupted around the hall as everyone began to cheer, either for Gryffindor or Slytherin.

As we exited the hall, I was thankful that the massive storm from last night had vanished, leaving sparkling blue skies and dew covered grass in its place. Crossing to the pitch, I saw a flash of silver at the tree line of the forbidden forest. I froze in place, remembering the flash of silver as the glass sliced through Gothel's chest that haunted my sleep and somehow found the courage to look over. I breathed a sigh of relief as all it was just a herd of unicorns in a pen, probably ready for a Care of Magical Creatures class next week.

After a brief warm up full of dodging bludgers and losing feeling in my fingers, the team assembled in the sheds, ready to hear Jasmine's pre-game speech. My nerves had come back, making me feel like I was drowning under a tonne of ice.

Jasmine was probably as nervous as the rest of us, but she wasn't going to show it. Her eyes were steely as she looked around at her team.

"Alright ladies! And… guys too, I guess," she added as an afterthought. "Slytherin hasn't beaten Gryffindor in years, not in the house or quidditch cup. We're always second best. Today, we can change that. Today. We. Can. Win."

She pounded a fist in to her hand with every word. "We have a new seeker, chaser and beater that the Gryffindors will write off as inexperienced immediately."

My heart sank, but lifted with Jasmine's next words. "What they don't know is how talented these new players are. Slytherin is known as the house of coward, pushovers and absolutely useless when it comes to quidditch. We are not going to simply lay down and let them walk all over us. We are going to put up a fight and show them just how hard it will be to beat us this year!"

Flynn and Naveen lead a round of cheering and foot-stomping before we relapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

Too soon I heard the clomping of thousands of feet as the rest of the school made their way down from the castle and towards the stands. Poking my head out the door, I caught a glimpse of an uncomfortable looking Hiccup tagging along with Rapunzel, Tiana, Charlotte, Nani, and a few other second year students. Rapunzel caught sight of me and waved, bringing a small smile to my lips as I waved back. Seeing Rapunzel with short hair reminded me of Gothel and the glass knife all over again. I must have gone white as Rapunzel frowned at me and nudged Hiccup, mumbling something to him that involved gesturing at me. I withdrew back into the shed and leant against the way, trying to get the traumatising image out of my head. Another thing seeing Rapunzel had triggered was worrying about Elsa. She willingly volunteered to take Hiccup's place in what could well be a suicide mission, facing one of the most notorious dark wizards the world had ever seen. I couldn't help but admire her bravery. She should've at least been offered the choice of being in Gryffindor. She could show them a few things about courage.

Tearing my mind away from Elsa, I tried to focus on the strategies we had developed for the game a few weeks ago.

When eleven o'clock finally arrived and it was time to play, we lined up and made our way out onto the pitch, broomsticks over our shoulders. The Gryffindor students that weren't playing started booing as soon as we stepped out of the sheds. Instead of wilting and backing down, Jasmine kept her head high and stared at the crowd, daring them to test her. Flynn, Naveen and Aladdin took a different approach; blowing kisses and waving to the booing students like they were royalty and greeting an adoring crowd. I just smiled and focused on my task; catch the snitch before Merida, and if possible, knock her off her broom in the process. Seeing a bruise or two on her would be satisfaction enough for me.

Professor Toothiana was refereeing the quidditch match. As soon as she made her way onto the pitch, the school fell quiet.

"I want a fair game from both teams," she said firmly, before losing her composure and squealing like a schoolgirl. "Oh goodness this is so exciting! Ahem, anyway, mount your brooms please."

I swung my leg over my broom and waited.

Toothiana released the golden snitch and the two bludgers before blowing her whistle. Fourteen eager students and one very excited teacher rose into the air, the students awaiting the release of the quaffle so the game could begin.

"On my count, one… two… three!" Toothiana threw the quaffle high into the air, and the game began.

"The quaffle is immediately caught by Astrid, a second year student that has only joined the Gryffindor team this year. She passes it to – no, wait! Slytherin chaser and captain Jasmine Al-Hamed sweeps in and intercepts it, speeding straight for the goalposts. She passes it to fellow chaser Flynn Rider who scores the first points of the match for Slytherin!"

There was a round of cheering from the Slytherin end and I flew in a loop in celebration. The giddy feeling didn't last long as a bludger speeding past my head snapped my focus back to my job; catching the snitch.

I sped towards the middle of the pitch as the Gryffindor keeper Mulan passed the quaffle to Pocahontas and play resumed.

I tuned out Fishlegs' commentary and tried to spot a glint of gold anywhere. I was almost certain I saw it, hovering near Naveen's left wrist, but as I flew closer, I realised it was only his watch, shining in the sun. I sighed and began circling the ground again.

"Giving up already, Overland?" Merida had silently flown up behind me and was sitting on her broom, a smug look on her face.

"Shove off, DunBroch." I grumbled. Merida just flew closer and began to poke fun at the rest of the Slytherin team. "I see why Slytherin hasn't beaten Gryffindor in years."

"Do tell if you're so smart." I snapped back. I was already stressed out about the game and proving to Jasmine that I was good enough to be on the team. I didn't need Merida's opinions right now.

She grinned, not picking up on my sarcasm and frustration. "Well, you have an okay captain who doesn't know a thing about training a quidditch team, a beater whose time is mostly spent bullying first years, a chaser, keeper, and second beater who are absolutely useless and a seeker who should never have come to Hogwarts in the first place."

I felt the blood drain out of my face, my concerns about not truly belonging with any of my friends finally out in the open. My knuckles had gone white from gripping my broom handle so tightly.

The next thing I did surprised Merida so much she almost fell off her broom. I grinned, pointed my broom at the ground and dived.

Merida evidently thought I'd seen the snitch and followed after me. I grinned and pushed my broom harder, flying so fast that everything was blurred, except for me and the rapidly approaching ground. I was close enough to touch the grass below me when I pulled up sharply and soared back up into the sky.

Looking down, I saw Merida, blood pouring from her nose, pick herself up off the ground. Mulan called for time and Shang flew over to Professor Toothiana, gesturing wildly. He was probably trying to get me pulled off the pitch for injuring his seeker.

I flew down to the ground where the rest of the team was waiting in a tense circle. Jasmine gave us a few pointers on how to improve our game while Merida was getting cleaned up. Once we were in the air, play resumed with Fishlegs announcing the score.

"Slytherin in the lead with thirty and Gryffindor trailing behind on ten." Thirty points had been scored and I hadn't even noticed.

Thanks Merida.

I heard a slight buzzing noise behind me and wheeled around.

Nothing.

Then I heard same buzzing noise behind my again.

Turning around, I saw a flash of gold speed off in the direction of the Slytherin goalposts. I took off, flattening myself against the broom handle trying to keep up.

Merida didn't try and follow me as I sped past her. Most likely, he didn't trust my judgment after tricking her into face planting in front of the whole school. It probably didn't even hurt. Her ego would have cushioned her fall. She wouldn't even feel it if she fell of the top of the astronomy tower. If we won, that would do some serious damage to hers, and every other Gryffindor's ego too.

I could see the snitch a few meters in front of me as I neared the three golden hoops that Naveen was defending. I passed by Naveen, blinked and the snitch was gone. I wacked my fist on the handle of my broom in frustration. It had to disappear again, didn't it?

"Jack! Look out!" Naveen shouted from behind me. Turning around, I saw two bludgers coming straight towards me and the two Gryffindor beaters laughing. I managed to dodge one but almost fell of my broom as the second zoomed over my head.

I was only hanging on by my right hand and was slipping. Looking down, I guessed that I was around twenty meters off the ground. If I fell from this height, I would likely kill myself. Something Merida would be happy about, I was sure.

Taking a deep breath, I began to swing myself ever so slightly and try and get a better grip on the broom. One, two, three! I had gained enough momentum to get my left leg over the brooms and climb back on. I realised I was shaking and gave myself a moment to get my wits together before resuming my search for the snitch.

I heard cheering from the Slytherin's as we scored again and again, Gryffindor putting up a less than spectacular defence.

About four hours after the game first started, many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had gone back inside to escape the cold, but being the stubborn and proud houses they were, none of the Gryffindors or Slytherins had left, just moved closer together to try and stay warm.

Even with my ability to withstand the cold, my legs and fingers were numb from hanging onto the broom for so long. I was glad to stretch them out the when Professor Toothiana blew her whistle and called for a break.

No one spoke as we huddled together in the change rooms with steaming cups of hot chocolate that Flynn and Naveen had summoned from the castle.

The score was two hundred and eighty to one hundred and ninety with Gryffindor trailing miserably behind. For once, I was feeling hopeful about actually beating them. It wouldn't matter if Merida caught the snitch now because Slytherin would still win.

The wind had picked up considerably when the game started back up. My hair was being whipped around a heap, and when the Gryffindor team took to the air, I saw that Merida was having a bad hair day too. Though, of course, her hair was way worse than mine. She was probably regretting not tying it up or something.

Turning to watch Naveen, I saw Astrid, Peter, and Pocahontas all form a triangle shape and start to fly towards the goalposts, scattering the players that didn't want to get sent tumbling off their brooms. Naveen tried to save the quaffle but was sent whizzing away from the posts and almost landing in Professor Pacha's lap in the teacher's stand, giving Astrid the opportunity to score.

The score was now two hundred and eighty to two hundred and ten. I had to catch the snitch if Slytherin were going to win.

I was just turning away from watching Professor Toothiana award Flynn a penalty after Tarzan had thrown his beater's bat at him when I saw the snitch again. There was a chorus of groans as Flynn missed the shot, but I didn't care. I had seen the snitch and do whatever it took to catch it.

The snitch was fast, but that didn't stop me.

I zig-zagged in and out of the hoops at the Slytherin end and swooped over the heads of the Slytherin students. There was a tell-tale whoosh of a bludger behind me that I instinctively ducked but that turned out to be Merida, flying above me, gunning for the snitch. Dipping down, we continued to chase after the evil golden ball, that once looked so innocent, but was a master of manipulation and frustration.

I could see Merida's hair flying out behind her as we flew closer and closer to the ground and the tiny golden ball, weaving in and out of team members and other flying balls of death. I ducked as a bludger whizzed past my right ear and weaved around Jasmine who was too busy trying to score to notice me. I was behind Merida by an arm's length when Peter moved directly into our path. I managed to move out of the way, but Merida wasn't so lucky.

She collided with Peter in mid-air and they both spiralled toward the ground in a mess of broomsticks and flailing limbs.

The snitch was only half a meter in front of the end of my broom when I stretched out my hand, reaching for the tiny golden ball. Twice I tried grasping it and was met only with empty air. The third time, I felt the snitch's wings brush my fingertips. The fourth time, I managed to close my hand around the ball.

"Jackson Overland has caught the snitch! Slytherin wins! Four hundred and thirty to two hundred and ten!"

I was so happy I felt like I was floating.

I drifted down to the ground where the rest of the Slytherin team was waiting for me. I raised my fist up into the air for the crowd to see, still clutching the struggling snitch. When I touched down, a hollering Flynn and Naveen rushed over and hoisted me onto their shoulders. I thought it was a bit over-the-top, but it was worth it when I saw Merida's smouldering face through the crowd of Slytherins that had come rushing onto the ground. As they stated carrying me towards the castle, I looked around, back towards the ground and saw Merida throw her broom on the ground, her face the same colour as her hair. I couldn't help the smug smile that crept onto my face as we made our way back to the castle. I did it. I won. That should show them that I wasn't useless.

We'd made plans to meet up as a group in the library at six-thirty but I wasn't sure Merida would show, given her probable hatred of me after the match. The party in the common room was still as wild as when it started and so insane that I figured no one would miss me. I was right. No one noticed as I snuck past a group of ecstatic fourth years and through the door, out into the draughty dungeon corridor. Clutching my robes around me, I hurried through the torch-lit corridors to the library.

When I got to our usual meeting place, I realised that I was ten minutes early. While I waited, I proceeded to scan the titles of the books closest to me and worry about Elsa. She was due to arrive back at seven, but that was only an estimated time based on how long we thought the flight would take, but what happened if she ran into Hook, or was injured, or the Darling family refused to come.

I heard a noise behind me and turned, seeing Merida stomping towards mem, a glare on her face. Instead of returning it like I usually would, I just smiled at her.

"Hi, Merida," I said, grinning. She was still glaring at me, the lost match still irritating her. "Is something the matter?"

"You shut up," she growled at me.

I laughed at her. "Never."

Merida clenched her fists and scowled at a wall, trying to control herself. I was having tremendous fun rubbing the win in her face. Before I could make another comment, Rapunzel arrived. I immediately noticed she was anxious, judging by the tired eyes and the fact that she was wringing her hands the way I'd seen Elsa do on occasion. She was also trying to be brave but was definitely worried about her cousin.

"Hi!" She sounded a little too enthusiastic, probably from trying to hide the anxiety that was clearly written all over her face. "Do you think she's okay?"

I just shrugged. "Eh, probably. If she didn't fall off, or get killed by Hook, I'm sure she's fine." I hid my worries about her behind a wall. I probably seemed emotionless to the other two, but I also didn't want to show how much I cared.

Rapunzel looked sort of ill at the thought of Elsa possibly being hurt, but didn't bother to respond. Instead, she turned to Merida and changed the subject.

"So. What are you doing for Christmas, Merida?" Merida smiled and I tuned out of the conversation completely. As much as I was looking forward to the holidays, I would miss my friends. I inwardly cringed at the term. I wasn't even sure they considered me as a friend. Acquaintance, perhaps, but not friend. I don't think they would ever really think of me as a friend because I was a Slytherin. I kicked at a worn away piece of carpet. I heard Elsa's name come up in Rapunzel and Merida's conversation and listened in.

It was nothing important.

Rapunzel just said that she and Elsa were spending the Christmas with her parents while Merida was going to look after her little bothers back at her manor house.

I glanced at the clock, wondering where Hiccup was. It was already six forty-five! Suddenly, I heard a small clatter and an exclamation of pain as Hiccup gingerly inched around a corner, mumbling an apology to whoever he knocked into. I stifled a laugh as he started towards us, but stopped when a cheery Hufflepuff girl in our year that I recognised as Charlotte La Bouff stopped him. I shuffled a little closer to try and catch what they were saying.

"Hi, Hiccup!" said Charlotte. "Hey, where's Elsa? I didn't see her at the match today."

I cursed under my breath. If Charlotte had noticed, how many other people had as well? This wasn't going to be good, especially since this was Hiccup trying to cover for her. He couldn't tell a lie to save his life!

Hiccup laughed anxiously, and stuttered out a reply. "She – well, uh… she's, uh… in the bathroom…?"

I knew he couldn't see me, but I rolled my eyes anyway. Thanks for blowing our cover, genius. If he made more one wrong move, we were dead. All of us.

Miraculously, Charlotte didn't question his awkwardness. Instead…

"Oh, I get it!" she said, smiling. "It's that time, isn't it?"

I was just as confused as Hiccup looked. What?

Charlotte continued. "You know."

He didn't. I didn't either.

Charlotte sighed. "Code red. Shark week."

I suddenly realised what she meant, but evidently Hiccup wasn't as quick to catch on.

She rolled her eyes. "The monthly visit from Mother Nature."

I could barely suppress my laughter as Hiccup finally worked it out. He flushed.

Charlotte nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I hate that. It's horrible. It may just be me, but I feel like the whole world is against me when it happens."

Hiccup was getting redder with every word, but didn't say anything since she'd given him such a good alibi.

"Tell her that I hope she feels better and if she needs anything or anyone to talk to about 'lady stuff', she can talk to me."

She patted him on the shoulder, then left, leaving a very uneasy Hiccup staring after her.

I started laughing as he made his way towards us. Realising I'd probably heard everything, he glared at me.

"You two okay there?" asked Rapunzel, concerned.

"It's nothing," Hiccup muttered.

Nothing? I thought. Let's see what's nothing when I torture you about this later.

I kept my mouth shut for the moment, but grinned at Hiccup. He scowled. "Let's just go."


	17. I won't accept defeat

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 2, Chapter 6**

 **Merida**

The Gryffindor team made our way up to our common room, furious about the loss. Our captain, Li Shang, hadn't scolded us at this point, but he kept his lips together and his fists clenched, presumably to refrain from punching something. I didn't have that level of self-control, so I kicked at doors and smacked at curtains as we walked up the many corridors, the paintings yelling at us for making so much noise and disturbing their sleep.

When we did finally arrive, Mulan gave the Fat Lady portrait the password and we filed inside silently.

The seven of us turned to watch the painting slide over the gap again. Then, after a split second, the room was filled with deafening yells of outrage. Tarzan and Peter began swinging punches at each other, Astrid threw a footstool at a suit of armour. What can I say? We're sore losers.

After everyone had vented the most violent part of their anger, the room fell quiet again. Most of us sat down on the sofas, trying to stay peaceful. Shang began picking up the pieces of armour that had scattered from the footstool. Astrid offered to help, but he told her that it was going to help him calm down, and she probably shouldn't go near him. So, Astrid wandered over and sat down on the sofa beside me.

We didn't say anything at first, until finally Astrid kicked off her shoes.

"I can't believe it!" she said, throwing the shoes at a wall. They narrowly missed Shang, who shot us a glare. We ignored him.

"We lost!" Astrid continued. "Gryffindor doesn't lose!"

"Especially not to Slytherin!" I agreed. "They're the lowest house, full of evil kids, and we lost to them! How did that happen?!"

Pocahontas, who wasn't really the angry type, shrugged. "I suppose they were simply better than us. They trained harder, they worked better together as a team. They did have more incentive, since they've been desperate for a victory for decades now. We, on the other hand, have won nearly every year. We got slack."

"We won't let it happen again," Mulan said, slamming a fist on the coffee table. "We will train for whole nights if we have to. Next match we play against them, we're going to win."

We gave a half-hearted cheer, which was interrupted by the common room door opening. Three other Gryffindors entered the room, my friend Moana among them. She saw us sitting there dejectedly, and made her way over.

"If it's any consolation, you guys did look awesome up in the air," she said.

"But we didn't win," Astrid groaned. "And don't give us that 'it's not about winning, it's about having fun' crap. I can't have fun if I've lost."

Moana sighed. "I guess. But your loss will spur you on. You can't possibly lose to Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff now."

"Yeah," I said. I kind of wished she hadn't mentioned Ravenclaw. It made me think of Hiccup and Elsa, which reminded me that Elsa was somewhere in between here at London at that very moment. I had nearly let it slip multiple times, like wondering about it out loud in front of Astrid. She'd given me an odd look, but didn't question any further.

I fell silent, and tuned out of Moana and Astrid's conversation. My mind wandered back to Elsa, and I wondered how she was going. That morning I'd wondered if she'd actually gone ahead with the plan, since someone with less guts *cough*Hiccup*cough* probably would have chickened out. But she had indeed left for London, despite the weather. There'd been a thunderstorm last night and early this morning. Rain and wind were never easy to fly through, even for me. Plus, Elsa wasn't a particularly strong flier. I hoped she hadn't fallen off and died or anything.

I tried to convince myself that she'd be fine, but I was still worried.

Speaking of things I was worried about, my family had been lingering in the back of my mind ever since Peter had mentioned them. What if Hook gave up on the Darlings and went after them instead? I straightened my back. I was going to protect my family no matter what. Hook wouldn't get anywhere near my baby brothers without getting through me first.

I checked the time. It was only a quarter to five, and since classes were off for the day of the quidditch match, I had nothing much to do to pass the time.

I talked with Moana and Astrid some more, and then with GoGo and Eep when they finally showed up. I tried hard not to seem distracted, but Eep noticed that I wasn't quite with it.

"Merida, are you okay?" she asked.

I blinked. "Oh. Yeah. Course I'm fine."

"Huh. So you could tell me what we've just been talking about, then?"

"…Yes."

She rolled her eyes. "Right. So what is it actually? The match?"

Thank God, an easy way out. "Yes. I can't believe Slytherin won."

Eep nodded. "Me neither. Hey Moana, why didn't you try out for quidditch?"

"I don't really feel comfortable in the sky. I'm more of an… ocean person."

They'd lost me again. I tried to keep up with the conversation, but it was about things I didn't care about at the moment.

Time wore on, and before I knew it, it was time for dinner. I began walking down to the great hall with Astrid and the others before realising that it was time for me to get to the library. Damn it. Now I needed an excuse.

I could say I needed to go to the bathroom. But for all of dinner, and probably longer afterwards? That would raise some questions.

Maybe I could need to study. Actually no, that would be just as suspicious. I never studied willingly, they all knew that.

I sighed. I'd have to tell the truth – or at least the partial truth.

"Guys," I said, as we reached the hall. "I've got to go."

"Why? Where?" GoGo seemed instantly suspicious.

"Uh… I promised to meet someone at the library," I said. It was only then that I realised how that sounded. I cursed under my breath.

"Ohhh," Eep said, her face breaking into a grin. The other three started laughing as well.

"That's not what I meant!" I said indignantly. "It's for… schoolwork."

"Sure." Moana nodded, holding back a laugh. "Whatever you say."

I swore under my breath as I walked to the library. Why did I have to make that sound so suspicious?

When I finally did get there, I was in a foul mood. It was not made better when I saw that Jack was the first and only one who'd arrived yet.

I shot him a glare, which (for once) he didn't return. Instead, he smiled happily. Slytherin scum.

"Hi, Merida," he said, grinning. "Is something the matter?"

"You shut up," I growled.

Jack snickered. "Never."

I clenched my fists, but managed to control myself. Rapunzel and Hiccup wouldn't take kindly to us destroying the library in an attempt to destroy each other. I scowled at a wall, hoping that Jack wouldn't attempt to talk to me anymore. I knew that as soon as he did, I'd end up trying to strangle him.

Thankfully, Rapunzel showed up pretty quickly. She seemed pretty anxious, which was understandable, but she put up a brave front.

"Hi!" She sounded a little too excited, probably from trying to hide the wobble in her voice. "Do you think she's okay?"

Jack shrugged. "Eh, probably. If she didn't fall off, or get killed by Hook, I'm sure she's fine."

Rapunzel looked sort of ill at the thought of that, but didn't bother to respond. Instead, she turned to me and changed the subject.

"So. What are you doing for Christmas, Merida?"

I smiled. "I'll be going home, of course. I can't wait to see how much my little brothers have grown!"

"How old are they now?"

"About five months, I think. But don't worry about them. Are you going home?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Unless I get kidnapped again, which hopefully won't happen."

"Aye," I said. "Speaking of which, I'm surprised your parents let you go back to Hogwarts so easily. If I'd been kidnapped, my mother'd've kept me at home until I was twenty."

Rapunzel laughed. "Really? My parents figure that if it's happened once, the odds are that it'll never happen again. You know, like chicken pox."

We talked for a little longer, waiting for Hiccup to show up. I caught Rapunzel looking at the clock every couple of seconds, but I didn't call her out on it. I'd been doing it too.

Then, as the clock hit six forty-five, Hiccup finally decided to arrive. He looked kind of irritated, and then glared at Jack when he started laughing. I glanced at Rapunzel, who seemed just as confused as I was. Had they fought earlier or something?

"You two okay there?" asked Rapunzel.

"It's nothing," Hiccup muttered, which on second thoughts didn't really answer her question. "Let's just go."

We traipsed out of the library, down several corridors, and out the front door. We were hit by a blast of cold as soon as the door opened, and I had to blink as my eyes started to water. The wind had picked up a heap since the match, and it had even begun to rain. The sky was pretty dark, too. I would have been able to see stars if the rainclouds ever cleared off.

I let out a sigh, and watched as my breath turned white and then swirled away in the wind. I hoped the Darling children were adequately dressed for this kind of weather, or they'd be bordering on hypothermia by now.

We trudged our way through the muddy grass. I personally had no idea where we were going, but I assumed that Hiccup and Elsa had discussed this meeting place earlier. In any case, Hiccup seemed pretty confident about where to go, so we all followed behind him. He came to a stop once we reached the edge of the forbidden forest, which wasn't a great place to go at this time of night or in this type of weather. The trees made eerie whispering noises, and every now and then I felt like there was a pair of eyes watching me.

I shivered, partly from the noises, but mainly from the cold. What was I thinking? I hadn't even brought a scarf. I decided use a substitute scarf, and wrapped my hair around my neck instead.

"What are you doing?" asked Jack.

I rolled my eyes. "Staying warm. Not all of us have unearthly ice-tolerance powers. It's like you're not even human."

Jack looked slightly upset at that, which was confusing, and then even more so when he didn't bother to argue any further. It was so odd for him to stay quiet that I nearly apologised. Nearly. I caught myself before I actually said anything.

I looked to Rapunzel to see if she was going to step in to stop our argument, or reassure Jack or something. But I didn't think she'd even heard us. She was twisting her hands together, looking upwards in anxiety. I checked the time. Seven on the dot. Elsa could arrive back at any minute.

I glanced at the sky too. It was pretty much completely dark now, so we'd have a hard time seeing her when she did arrive. But, minutes passed, and there was no sign of her. I suppose I was a little worried, but our time calculation hadn't been precise. She couldn't have flown at top speed all the way to London and back, so I wasn't expecting her back immediately. But everyone else was really fidgety, even Jack.

Now that was strange. I'd been expecting Rapunzel's nerves, since they were cousins and all. Hiccup and Elsa were best friends, so that made sense too. But Jack? He really wasn't that close to her, in fact I was pretty sure Elsa disliked Jack as much as I did. She was just less obvious about expressing it. So then why was he joining in on the twitchy foot-shuffling, and constant time checks?

I shrugged it off. I didn't really care, anyway. I just needed something to occupy my thoughts so that they wouldn't freeze along with the rest of me.

Though I had been expecting a delay, I was starting to get bored. We'd been standing there for an hour, and I was ready to freeze to death. Where was she? And could she pick up the pace?

No one had spoken for a while, so it sent a jump through everyone when I spoke. "So, do you think we should go back inside and let her make her own way back?"

"No!" Rapunzel's response was indignant. "I am staying here until she gets back. And that's final!"

I stepped back. "Alright then, calm down. I just thought… it's pretty cold out here. And you and Hiccup are both a heap skinnier than me, so I figured you'd be even colder than me, and I'm freezing! But, if you're sure…"

"I'm sure," Rapunzel said, teeth gritted.

Shrugging, I turned to Hiccup. "What about you?"

I couldn't see very well in the cloudy moonlight, but Hiccup looking pretty pale to me. He was also shivering. Nevertheless, the shook his head obstinately. "Same as Rapunzel. I'm not going anywhere."

"And you're fine, of course," I said in Jack's direction as an afterthought. "So then what are we going to do? We can't stay here all ni-"

Of course, that was the moment she decided to show up. Just to make me look like an idiot.

"Are those your friends?" A girl's voice with a posh accent floated down from the sky.

I looked up to see a three broomsticks hovering against the dark sky. On one of them was the girl who I'd heard speak. She was about our age, had brown hair, and wore a blue dress. Wendy Darling.

Alongside her flew a boy somewhat younger than her, with dark hair and glasses. Next to him was Elsa, for some reason missing one of her sleeves, and clutching a toddler in her arms.

"Yes, that's them," Elsa said to Wendy. "Angle your brooms downwards and we'll land."

The four of them dropped to the ground in a somewhat haphazard manner, broomsticks thudding as they hit the muddy grass. None of them landed standing up.

Elsa slowly climbed to her feet, only to be immediately bowled over by Rapunzel.

"Oh my God, Elsa, I thought you were dead!"

She smiled gingerly, and stood up once again, this time simultaneously trying not to be crushed by Rapunzel's embrace.

Elsa awkwardly patted her cousin's head and pushed her away. "Well. I'm not."

Rapunzel, suddenly over her initial relief, raised an eyebrow. "You're fine, are you? So then why are you an hour late?"

Elsa took a step back. "Well, there was a brief run-in with Hook. I also had to teach three muggles how to fly while already in mid-air. So, there's nothing that could possibly delay us there."

Rapunzel nodded. "Okay, you're excused. But never do that again! You scared me!"

There was a slight pause until Wendy, the brown-haired girl, stepped forward.

"You must be the cousin that Elsa talked about," she said to Rapunzel. "Nice to meet you."

The two of them shook hands, then Wendy turned to Hiccup.

"And you're Hiccup, I suppose. For some reason I was imagining you taller." She offered him her hand, which he shook.

"Merida!" Wendy walked over to me, shaking my hand too. "You're not hard to miss. I must say, Elsa described you all quite well. And Jack!"

Wendy took his hand more cautiously than she had for the rest of us. Maybe she'd heard about the ice powers. Or she'd had the house system explained to her, and she was wary because he was a Slytherin. Either way, Jack had noticed. He tried not to show it.

"It's lovely to see you all!" Wendy said. "This is my brother John-" The kid with the glasses gave a wave. "-and my other brother, Michael."

The toddler, who was now clutching his sister's hand, smiling up at us sleepily.

"It's great to be here," said Wendy. "And we are glad that we're safe from Hook, but… I have a few concerns."

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"First of all, where are we going to stay? This is a wizarding school, and we're not magical."

That was a good point. I don't think any of us had even considered it.

"And what about our parents? We just left! They'll be worried sick!"

"You didn't tell their parents?" Jack asked incredulously. "What were you thinking?"

Elsa stood up straighter, purposely drawing attention to the fact that she was far taller than Jack. "Hook was about to murder us, Jack! There wasn't even time to give a flying lesson, let alone explain everything to two adults!"

Wendy waited until there was silence before starting to speak again. "One last thing – and this needs to be addressed quite quickly – it seems that my brother is having a hard time staying awake. Could a place to sleep be arranged?"

I looked at Michael again, and saw that he was indeed very tired. But what were we going to do?

"I think the only thing for it is to tell North," said Rapunzel, after a pause. The backlash was instant.

"What?! Rapunzel!"

"But we'll be in so much trouble!"

"No! You can't. He might tell Dad, and then I'll never be allowed to do anything ever again!"

Rapunzel put her hands up. "Just hear me out! If we tell North, it's no longer our responsibility. We can let the adults deal with it and we can go back to being normal students."

"No!" said Hiccup. He seemed almost angry, which was surprising, but also panicky at the same time. "I said we can't tell him! He might owl our parents!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "You're such a goody two-shoes. I get in trouble all the time, and my parents don't even notice."

"But my dad notices!" Hiccup yelled. "Every single time I do something wrong, I get in massive trouble!"

"Well you should count yourself lucky, then! My parents don't ever notice me!"

"You don't understand!"

"No, you don't understand!"

Hiccup glared up at Jack, the fiercest I'd ever seen him. It was as if he was daring Jack to continue, though neither of them kept going. They fell quiet, catching their breath.

"I've had enough of this," Jack muttered, then began running back towards the castle.

I watched him until he reached the door, then turned and raised an eyebrow at Hiccup. He looked at the ground.

"Sorry."

"What are you apologising for?" asked Elsa. "It's his own stupid fault for picking a fight with you."

Hiccup gave a half-smile, though he still looked anxious. "Are you sure we have to tell North?"

Rapunzel sighed. "Hiccup, I really do think we should. But you don't need to worry about getting in trouble from him. Fred told me that when he got a detention from North, it didn't involve much more than giving feedback on picture books."

"What?" said Elsa.

"Yeah, I don't get it either. But we won't get in too much trouble, Hiccup, I swear. In fact, we might even be congratulated. We did just save three muggles from an infamous dark wizard."

Hiccup shook his head. "I don't care if either of those happen. The only reason I'm worried is because of my dad. If North writes anything to him, good or bad, I'm dead."

"Even if it's positive?" I asked. "But that doesn't even make sense."

"At the start of the year," Hiccup explained. "He said that if he got any letters from the school at all, that he'd be really mad."

Rapunzel bit her lip. "Okay then. What if we just left you out of the story altogether? You can go back to your dorm, and we won't even mention you to North. He won't know you were involved at all. Is that okay?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess so."

He started walking before we did, just in case someone spotted us as a group. After waiting for him to disappear from view, the remaining six of us began making our way back.

"What was up with them?" asked John.

"That's just what Jack's like," I said. "Try to avoid him, but don't tell him I said that."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's not very nice."

"Well, I'm not very nice. Get used to it."

Rapunzel whacked me with the back of her hand. "Ignore her, John."

"Do you know where Peter might be right now?" asked Wendy. "I'd like to see him."

"He's probably in the Gryffindor common room," Elsa said. "You'll be able to see him at some point, but first we need to go and see North."

We got a few strange looks from people on the way, especially the teachers, but for some reason nobody asked us what we were doing with three muggle children. We got all the way to North's office, and then stopped in front of his door. The was a shiny golden plate on the door, which read "Headmaster Nicholas St. North". I smirked, remembering the last time I'd gone to this office. Rapunzel had been missing back then. Boy, I was glad all that was over.

Rapunzel knocked on the door, and then took a step back.

The handle gave a squeak as it turned, and then the door swung back to reveal Headmaster North. Not for the first time, I noticed that he towered far above us. He was probably even taller than my dad.

"Hello there," he said. "Why, it is half of the rescue team from last year, plus the kidnapped girl!"

Rapunzel laughed. "That's us!"

"What would you be after at this hour-?" he began, but stopped short. He blinked. "Wait a second. Who are these three? They are not students."

Elsa scratched the back of her head. "Ah, yeah. About that. Um…"

"To make a long story short… Captain Hook has come back," Rapunzel said, much to the surprise of our Headmaster. "You know him, follower of Pitch, believes that muggles and wizards should be completely separate. These three are the cousins of a student here, Peter Pan. He's shown them things about the wizarding world, which means they completely qualify as victims for Hook. Peter asked us to bring them here, so they'd be safe."

North looked a little taken aback at first, but seemed to process all of this remarkably quickly. "So they need somewhere to stay while at Hogwarts?"

The Darlings looked a little put off, hearing themselves being discussed like this, so Wendy answered North's question before anyone else could.

"Yes, sir. We need a place to stay."

North nodded. "Well, how about the Hufflepuff dormitory? I am sure we can find you some spare beds, and all the students would be pleased to have you stay."

Wendy smiled. "That sounds lovely, sir."

"I can take you there right now," Rapunzel said. "Follow me."

The four of them began walking away down the hall. Well, three of them walked. Michael was being carried. Elsa and I were about to leave as well, until North cleared his throat.

"Girls."

Here it comes, I thought.

"In a normal school, you would probably be severely reprimanded for this… 'rescue'. You have left the school without permission and kidnapped three children. However, it was for the better. Hook will have to get through Hogwarts before he can get to the children."

We both let out a sigh.

"Thanks," I said.

North laughed. "You are most welcome. Now off to bed with you both. I don't want to know how long it has been since you last slept."

For the first time, I saw that Elsa's hands were trembling, and her eyes looked a little glassy. She must have taken a potion to keep her awake. As soon as it wore off, she'd need to sleep for ages. But apparently she was still quite alert, because she turned back to North just before he closed the door.

"One more thing," she said. "We were only able to rescue the Darlings because Peter told us. And the only reason why Peter told us was because he noticed that Hook's former accomplice is working as a professor at this very school."

She said the last part with such ferocity that both North and I took a step back.

North raised an eyebrow. "Who is this teacher, then?"

"Professor Smee," I said over my shoulder, once again beginning to walk away from the office. "I think I'll let you sort it all out."

The Darlings settled into life at Hogwarts quite well. Wendy attended classes occasionally, though she was mainly limited to History of Magic and Astronomy since she was a muggle. Her younger brothers, being too young for Hogwarts even if they had been wizards, explored the castle. The moving staircases and seemingly endless number of rooms meant that they didn't get bored in the slightest.

Before I knew it, the weather had started getting even colder. But now, instead of just being miserably dark and rainy, it had begun to snow! And that meant that Christmas was only just around the corner.

"Where are we going to go for the Christmas holidays?" asked Wendy one day as she sat with us at lunch. We were crowded around a fireplace in the library, trying our best to stay warm. Well, most of us. Jack and Elsa had been pushed to the edges of our little group, not bothering to stay near the fire.

"I'm not sure," said Rapunzel, in answer to Wendy's question. "You certainly can't go back to London."

Hiccup looked confused. "Weren't you just going to stay at Hogwarts?"

Wendy shook her head. "No. I looked into it. Nearly all the teachers are going home except Smee, who'll be the supervisor."

Jack groaned. "And we're not sure whether he's still in league with Hook and Pitch. So that's not an option."

"You could come home with one of us," suggested Elsa, which Wendy brightened at.

"Oh, could we? That would be excellent!"

I looked around our group, trying to figure out who'd be the best family to look after the Darlings over Christmas. Hiccup wasn't going home, so he was definitely out. But everyone else…

"Does anyone want to volunteer?" I asked. "Or are we going to have to vote or something?"

"My parents have a hard enough time with just me and Emma," Jack said. "So… no."

"Our family could do it!" said Rapunzel. "Although… we don't have three extra beds. You'd have to sleep on the couch. And the floor."

"Looks like you'll be coming with me, then," I said. "We've got enough spare rooms, and I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind. Or at least my dad wouldn't."

Everyone seemed fine with that arrangement, until Hiccup ruined it.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked. "All of Hook's potential victims in one house?"

I rolled my eyes, but let him continue.

"You'd be the only wizard there, Merida. That's one out of, what, nine?"

"You think I can't handle myself against Hook?" I said.

He sighed. "You can handle yourself just fine, but I doubt you can protect eight other people. Especially when nearly all of them are children."

"You're just mad because you have to stay at school over Christmas," I said. Looking back, that was a pretty low blow, but I didn't care at the time. "Hiccup, it's only for a week. What could happen? Everything will be fine!"

As I turned out, I couldn't've been more wrong.


	18. Think of Christmas, think of snow

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 2, Chapter 7**

 **Rapunzel**

I always woke up early on Christmas morning and it seemed that this year was no exception.

The second my eyes opened I shot upright and looked at the clock.

Quarter to six.

I shrugged. It wasn't like it was that early. The sun would rise in about two hours.

I slid out of bed, wrapping myself in several layers of clothing before leaving my room. I stepped out into the dark corridor, and pushed open Elsa's door.

It was odd, how close we'd grown over the last few years. When my parents had first told us that Aunty Idun and Uncle Agdar had passed away, and that my cousins were going to live with us, I was uncertain. I did like the Arendelle sisters, but I barely knew them - we only saw each other once or twice a year at best. I could play with Anna easily enough - she was just a happy little kid – but Elsa was different. We were supposed to get on really well, since we were the same age, but she always seemed quiet and almost mysterious. She was polite, of course, but we'd never really talked that much.

We didn't think we'd ever need to. We were wrong.

Because back when Elsa and I were eight, and Anna was only five, the Arendelle parents died.

I guess I'd been expecting the awkward interactions to continue once the Arendelles moved in, and for a few weeks, that was true. But one day, I guess Elsa decided she trusted me, and showed me her ice powers. It was a pleasant surprise – I had odd powers as well, and we finally had something in common! We were friends after that, though after a year it felt more like we were sisters.

It certainly seemed like a sister thing, barging into Elsa's room before sunrise just so I could have company. I crept further into the dark, smiling to myself. I got to her bed, and then grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Wake up! It's Christmas!" I hissed.

She groaned. "Rapunzel, what are you talking about? It's still night. Let me sleep."

"No!" I shook her shoulders again. "It's morning, I swear. Get up, and we can wake Anna."

She complied, but muttered under her breath as we walked towards Anna's room. " _It's not PROPER morning until the sun's up; it's too early for this_."

"You're being a grumpy teenager," I whispered. "Shut up."

Elsa rolled her eyes. She had indeed turned thirteen three days earlier, and I wasn't going to let her forget it.

We entered Anna's room, which wasn't as dark as the other two. Anna hadn't been too fond of the dark when she'd first arrived at our house, so Dad had enchanted her ceiling to start glowing once the sun went down.

With some difficulty, we got the ginger-haired nine-year-old out of bed. Elsa and I were planning on staying put until the sun rose, but Anna wasn't going to cooperate. She dragged us downstairs to wake up my parents as well.

The day went past pretty quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for dinner.

"Rapunzel, can you set the table, please?" my mother called from the kitchen.

I sighed, putting down the new sketchbook I'd received. "Yes, mum!"

Not for the first time since I'd come home, I remembered how I'd spent my previous Christmas – alone in Gothel's tower. At the time, I hadn't been too worried with my situation, after I'd gotten over the initial shock. But now, thinking about the tower made me feel sick. How had I been so content with the kidnapping? Why hadn't I attempted escape earlier? Why had I let myself become a bargaining tool for Gothel and Pitch?

I slammed a knife and a fork onto the table. I wasn't going to let anything like that happen again. I'd stick up for myself, I'd put up a fight.

"What's wrong?"

I turned in surprise. Anna stood next to me, looking up in concern. "You look angry."

I shook my head. "No, I was just thinking."

My mother emerged from the kitchen, holding a dish with steam streaming out. "Could you girls go and get Elsa and Frederick? It's time to eat."

"I'm right here," Elsa said. She had been reading quietly on the couch, practically invisible to the naked eye. Apparently this was something that Ravenclaws were quite skilled at.

"Sorry, dear," said my mother. "Anna, can you go find your uncle?"

Anna gave an overdramatic sigh, and draped a hand over her head. "If I must."

Soon the five of us were seated around the table, eating the massive dinner my mum made. There was enough food on our table to feed a small country. There was silence at the table at first, but my mother began talking once everyone had slowed down a bit.

"Girls, we haven't heard very much about school yet. Would you like to tell us about it?"

I glanced at Elsa. We'd agreed to say as little as possible in case either of us let something slip about the Darlings or Elsa's dangerous mission.

"School is fine," Elsa said. She looked at me as if to say 'Your turn'.

"Yeah…" I racked my brains for something to talk about that wasn't going to raise suspicion. "We… we have a new History of Magic teacher."

Elsa shot me a glare. _Don't mention Hook_.

"Really?" said Dad. "What's their name?"

"Professor Smee," I said.

Mum raised an eyebrow. "Smee. Have I heard that somewhere before?"

I hurriedly shook my head. "No. You haven't."

From the look on Elsa's face, it was clear I was lying. I looked down at my plate, which probably made me look even more guilty.

My dad put his fork down. "No, no, your mum is right. I swear I've heard that name before."

I swallowed. Dad worked in the International Magical Office of Law – he could well have caught glimpses of the name on some obscure paperwork.

"I have heard of him before!" Dad said suddenly. "It was a while ago – before you were born, Rapunzel. He showed up two or three times as possible suspect for international crimes, but he was never convicted. I only remember him because one of my co-workers found his name funny."

"So then what is a suspected criminal doing at Hogwarts?" asked Mum, narrowing her eyes.

Elsa and I looked at each other. "Um…"

Both of my parents were looking at me intensely. Even Anna had stopped eating, and was looking on in interest.

I breathed out. Time to spill everything.

"We were hoping we wouldn't have to say this, but here goes. A Gryffindor named Peter Pan came up to us and told us that Smee is one of Captain Hook's accomplices."

Mum gasped. "The dark wizard?"

I nodded.

"Why did this Peter choose you two to tell about this?"

Elsa shook her head. "Not just us, it was all of our group. You know, on account of what we did last year."

"Right," Dad said. I hoped they'd be satisfied with that much information, but he could tell there was more. "Anything else you'd like to tell us?"

"No," Elsa said, at the same time that I said "Yes."

Damn it.

Elsa sighed, and told the whole thing. Mum and Dad's expressions grew slowly from concerned to absolutely horrified.

"You flew to London _by yourself_?" asked Mum, once Elsa had finished.

She shrugged.

Mum put her head in her hands. "Oh, what would your parents say?"

"I don't know," Elsa said. "They're dead."

"You know what I mean."

There was a pause.

"All scolding aside, good job on the rescue, Elsa," Dad said.

"Well, thank you."

Anna put down her fork. "Did you volunteer to do it, Elsa? 'Cause I could have done it for you, you know."

"Don't be stupid, you haven't even taken first-year flying," Elsa said. "And no, I didn't volunteer. I was forced into it. I'm not that insane."

I swallowed my food. "Technically, you didn't _have_ to go."

My mother's head whipped back to me. "What do you mean, she didn't have to?"

Elsa shook her head violently at me, but the words were already halfway out of my mouth.

"We'd all decided that one of our other friends was going to go, but..." I trailed off, shrinking under Elsa's glare. "Sorry."

My parents immediately turned on Elsa. "You _volunteered_?"

"You could have died!"

"Why didn't you just let the other kid go instead?"

Anna, who wasn't a part of the conversation, stuffed food in her mouth as she eagerly followed the argument back and forth like it was an entertaining tennis match. She looked as if she was enjoying herself.

Elsa had had enough. "Stop it! I know it was dangerous, but I'm still in one piece, right? And I wouldn't have gone if Hiccup was capable of it himself, but he wasn't. I had to."

Mum went to say something else, but Dad put a hand on her arm. "She's right, dear. Let's not dwell on what's already happened."

We ate quietly until our plates were empty, though Anna finished way before anyone else. She seemed disappointed that we'd stopped arguing, too.

My dad was the first to speak again. "So girls, who exactly is in your little group of friends? I don't think you've told us yet."

"Us two, Merida, Jack, and Hiccup," I replied.

"I thought you said 'Hiccup' before," Dad said, laughing. "I thought I must have misheard you."

Elsa was immediately defensive, which was probably something she had to do a lot at school. "Don't you dare make fun of his name! It's not his fault!"

Dad put his hands up. "Calm down! It's just an... odd choice for something to name your child. I wonder what his parents were thinking? That's just asking for him to get teased."

"He does get teased," I said, before I could stop myself. Elsa shot me another death glare.

Mum looked at me with a sad smile. "I'm sorry to hear that. What house is he in?"

"Ravenclaw, with me," Elsa said while looking at the table.

Mum raised an eyebrow. "Do they tease either of you, too?"

Elsa shook her head. "I have ice powers, Aunty. What do you think?"

"Fair point. But what about these other friends of yours? Are they Hufflepuffs?"

"No," I said. "Merida's Gryffindor, and Jack-"

I stopped. My parents weren't going to like this.

"Uh, Jack is in... Slytherin."

Mum and Dad glanced at each other. "Oh."

"Is he rude?" asked Anna, who apparently was still listening in.

Elsa nodded. "Dreadfully rude. He always picks fights, too."

I tried not to look either of my parents in the eyes as we ate our way through dessert. It didn't feel right, all the hate that Slytherin was receiving. Perhaps… perhaps they didn't really deserve it.

Before we knew it, Christmas was over, and it was time to return to school. We apparated to King's Cross Station, then ran through the wall to Platform 9 ¾. It was freezing; my feet were numb as we walked across the icy pavement. I was wearing both of my scarves, along with a beanie and a pair of gloves. Elsa hadn't even bothered to put on a jumper. Show-off.

"Rapunzel!"

I turned in the direction I'd heard my name called. It was Jack. His family must have left already, because he stood by himself. I waved him over, carefully eyeing my parents to make sure they didn't say anything about him being in Slytherin.

"Did you have nice holidays?" I asked.

He nodded, but said nothing. He had probably picked up on the mild disdain in my parents' expressions.

Since trying to talk to anyone was pretty futile, I spent my time scanning the crowd for anyone else I knew. I spotted a few of my other friends, like Tiana. She was preoccupied with her own conversation, with a boy named Naveen from third year.

"All Hogwarts students returning for second semester, please board the train now!"

I looked around at my parents, and picked up my trunk. "We'd better get going," I said. "Come on, Elsa."

We said our goodbyes, then sat down in our empty carriage at the back of the train, the same place where everything started a year and a half ago. As the train began speeding across the frozen countryside, I found myself wondering where Merida was. I shook my head, dismissing the worry almost as soon as I thought of it. She was probably just in a different compartment or something.

The sky was dark when we pulled into the Hogwarts station, not even the stars showing through the thick clouds. There were a few lanterns hanging up that shone with blurry golden light, illuminating the shivering students who were loyal enough to wait in the cold for their friends. I squinted hard, trying to see if Hiccup was among them. He was, but I nearly missed him as he was standing off to the side, in the shadows.

The train stopped with a jerk. I exhaled, standing up and stretching my cramped legs. With some effort, I dragged my trunk down from the overhead shelf.

"Should we go?" I asked, since neither of the others had moved.

Elsa, who'd been staring into middle distance, blinked. "Oh. Yeah."

The three of us, a little stiff from the ride, clambered off the carriage and back onto solid ground. The cold air hit me again, along with a few snowflakes. I cringed, looking up at the black sky. Did it really have to start snowing _now_? We still had to walk all the way back to Hogwarts, and I'd wanted to stay _somewhat_ warm.

Hiccup wandered over to us, gesturing for us to start down the path back to the castle.

"The train was half an hour late; I'm _not_ waiting out here any longer."

"Oh, come on, you're not bothered by a little bit of snow, are you?" Jack asked, a grin tugging at his mouth. "Because Mother Nature's got nothing on me!"

It happened too fast to see exactly what happened, but in the following moment Jack had dumped a heap of ice all over Hiccup. He shrieked.

"Oh my gods, Jack! _Stop it_!"

The exclamation was quickly followed by muttered curse word, which made everyone jump. Had Merida said the same thing, nobody would bat an eye, but _Hiccup_? It was enough to wipe the smile right off Jack's face, and replace it with shock. He held his hands up.

"Whoa! Calm down, it was a joke. Jeez!"

Hiccup didn't say anything, and didn't look up from the ground, but I caught a small smile on his face. I'd grin too, finally getting Jack to shut up.

It seemed like midnight when we finally got back to the castle. It had faintly registered with me that Merida still hadn't showed up, but by that point I was too tired to think any more. I stumbled straight to my dorm, dumped my bag at the end of my bed, and collapsed on top of it. I didn't move until sunrise.

It didn't occur to me to look for Merida at breakfast. I wouldn't normally see her anyway, since we were in different houses. But then she didn't show up to potions either.

 _Well,_ I reasoned, _maybe she's got a cold. Maybe it was something she ate. She could even be skipping class just for the sake of it._

But by lunch, it was obvious something was up. We arrived at our usual library meeting place, and had been waiting for so long that Jack got bored and ran off to talk to Flynn and Naveen. It was obvious. Merida wasn't here.

We weren't the only people who'd noticed, either. Halfway through lunch, Merida's other friends from Gryffindor barged into the library. They'd been looking for us.

"Where's Merida?" Astrid demanded. The four of them had stopped short in front of where we were sitting, and were looking pretty formidable in their scarlet uniforms.

"We're not sure," I said. "I was hoping you could tell us, actually."

"Why would we know?" she asked. "She wasn't in the dorm last night, she wasn't at breakfast this morning, and she hasn't been in class all day. We'd like some information."

I bit my lip. "Well... you remember the three muggle kids that we here last term?"

Astrid sniffed. "Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"

"They needed a place to go over Christmas, and… we decided that Merida's family would be the best choice."

Astrid looked at us witheringly. " _Merida_? But her family are muggles! They can't protect anyone from Hook! You actually thought that was a good idea?"

I swallowed. "I, uh… well, on second thoughts, probably not?"

"No kidding," Astrid said. "And now she's probably dead. Great."

"What do you want us to do, then?" asked Elsa after a pause. She looked anxious, which is something angry Gryffindors will do to you.

Astrid threw her hands in the air. "Honestly? I have no idea. But you'd better figure out what's happened, or there'll be hell to pay."

I 'd begun to descend into despair, but thankfully our conversation was interrupted. Jack charged back into the library, followed by Flynn. He waved a sheet of paper in his hand and had a grin on his face.

"We know where Merida is!"

Every single one of us wheeled around to face him.

"Spill," Astrid commanded. Jack handed over the paper in response.

" _Elsa, Rapunzel, Jack, Hiccup, etcetera,_ " Astrid read aloud. "Gods, this writing is messy. _Hook is here. Demanded name of every muggleborn we know. Wants to know where Peter is. Darlings and family will be killed one by one if I don't answer. Send help now._ "

Dead silence.

"GET ON WITH IT!" Astrid yelled. "She said NOW! I THINK SHE MEANS IT!"

For a second, I wondered who would be able to think clearly in a situation like this, but apparently Jack had it covered. He sounded so absolutely certain as he fired off orders that nobody questioned his authority.

"Everyone who was mentioned in the letter, get over here! Four might be too small of a number, Flynn can come too. And why not a Gryffindor for good luck? Moana, that makes six."

He gestured for us to follow him, and ran out the library doors and into the grounds. He seemed to be scanning the area for something. Then his face brightened.

"Flynn, grab six brooms from the broom cupboard inside one of the change rooms. Bring them to the edge of the forest."

He continued to lead us all the way to where the trees started. We stopped there, waiting for Flynn to return with our transportation. I looked around at our little group. Out of everyone there, I expected Hiccup to look the most terrified, but unexpectedly he gave a determined smile. I was so surprised that I smiled back. Huh. Maybe this trip wasn't bound for utter failure after all.

I was quickly distracted by the sight of Flynn sprinting back to us with an armload of brooms. He dumped on the ground, puffing.

"Do we even know where Merida lives?" asked Hiccup suddenly.

A jolt went through my body. _Did we_?

"Yes. She showed us," said Moana. "It's only about two hours away."

"Are you sure?" asked Elsa, concerned.

Moana laughed. "I'm a pretty good navigator, we'll be fine."

I sighed with relief and picked up a broom. "Everyone ready?"

Responses ranged from loud affirmations (Flynn) to quiet whimpers of terror (Elsa). I ignored her. _Think positive_.

"Alright then! Let's go!"


	19. We all must pay a price

**Hogwarts: Legends Unite**

 **Part 2, Chapter 8**

 **Elsa**

Not going to lie: I was terrified of what we were about to do. Unlike my trip to London, I'd had no time to prepare myself for an adventure of any sort. I was still trying to get my head around this whole situation.

I also had to work alongside (in addition to my friends) two people who I didn't really know well at all. I'd _seen_ them before, but I didn't think I'd ever had a conversation with either Flynn or Moana in my life. Until that day, of course.

Moana seemed to know what she was doing, and she _was_ the only one giving directions, so I stuck close beside her as we flew. She noticed, and after we'd exchanged an awkward smile or two, she struck up a conversation. She was quite polite, which was a nice change from loud, rude Gryffindors like Astrid and Merida.

Speaking of Merida, we'd nearly arrived at her house. And not a moment too soon, either, since it had just begun to rain.

"Are we there yet?" Jack asked. I was behind him, so he couldn't see me, but I glared anyway.

I wasn't the only one sick of Jack's incessant questions. Moana had answered "Nearly," about a dozen times already, and had reached her breaking point.

"You know what, Jack? No. We are _not_ there yet. We've been going in the wrong direction the entire time, and we're about to end up in Spain."

Jack looked genuinely concerned before realising she was kidding. He rolled his eyes. "Don't do that."

Moana snorted. "Seriously no, we _are_ getting closer. It should be just after this forest."

I looked down at the ground, spotting said forest below us. It was so far below us that I had trouble picturing the trees as anything but miniature. It felt like we were in a separate world up here.

Flynn, who was at the front of our group, turned around. "Should we start to head down to the ground? I think I can see the house now."

Squinting, I managed to pick out a little black smudge down below. It could have been the house, but could have also been a cowshed or something.

"Yes, we probably should start descending now," Moana called to Flynn. "Drop the front of your brooms, everyone!"

We began the steep downward flight to the ground. This was the part of flying that I least enjoyed. It was like coming back to reality after a daydream. And in this case, 'reality' was the possibility of being tortured and killed by a crazy man with a hook for a hand. I shuddered. What if we were too late? Had anyone died yet?

I looked grimly at the house in the distance. It was growing bigger with every second. I could see what it looked like now, and was surprised at the size of the place. It was _enormous_ , and had a bunch of huge round towers with battlements around the top. There was no other way to describe it: it was a castle. I would have spent more time looking at it – I had an interest in architecture – except that it was covered in a writhing mass of shadows. It must have been the black sand that trailed after Pitch's followers wherever they went. I swallowed. Just the sight of the wretched stuff dragged up memories from last year that I'd been trying to forget.

It turned out that other people hadn't gotten as far as thinking about the sand, and were getting hung up on the house still. Or at least, _one_ person was.

"Merida lives _there_?" Jack said, astonished. "She lives in a freaking _castle_ and never thought to mention that to us?!"

"I'm sure it just never came up in conversation," Rapunzel said, shrugging.

Jack looked astounded at how she could just dismiss it that fast. "But- how…?" He stopped midsentence after seeing our looks of confusion. He bit his lip. "Never mind."

We flew on, the darkened house looming closer and closer. Hiccup, who'd been strangely undaunted at the start of the trip, was starting to lose his confidence.

"Elsa?" He flew beside me. "What's Hook like?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You're the only one here who's met him before. And I guess I want to get an idea of him before I see him in person."

I scratched my head. "Well, it's not like I sat down and talked to him when I was in London. I was trying to get away from him!"

"You still saw him, though. You must remember _something_."

"Well, um, he was wearing a red coat."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "No, I mean…" He paused and lowered his voice. " _The hook_."

"Oh," I said. It was the thing that the captain was most famous for. It was his name, after all. Legend had it that the hook was sharpened to a razor point, and could slice through _anything_. Even bone. It was also rumoured to be imbued with some kind of dark magic, magic that would have serious effects on you if it pierced your skin. Even if the injury itself wasn't fatal, the magic might be.

"The hook was really creepy," I said. "It was shiny, almost enchanting. I get the feeling you wouldn't want to look at it for too long. And even aside from the magical part, it was still scary. Like, there should be a part of his body there, but instead it's... _metal_."

Hiccup shivered. "I hope we get this whole thing over with quickly."

We dismounted at the front door, leaving our brooms in a pile. Wisps of black sand swirled underfoot, which everyone tried to ignore. Perhaps if we didn't acknowledge it, it would go away. I looked up at the front door. It had fallen off its hinges, revealing darkness through the gaps.

Rapunzel touched the door handle. "Here goes. Everyone ready?"

I slid my wand out of my pocket, and held it in my clenched fist. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Rapunzel pulled at the door, and dragged it open wide enough to fit through. One by one, we stepped inside.

I was last, though Hiccup wasn't too far in front of me. I had to prod him forwards a couple of times, but it wasn't like I was going any faster. The corridor was enormous and as dark as night. I was trying hard not to look down, since we were practically wading through the dark sand. It was in the air too, and I noticed that I had a sudden wave of anxiety every time I breathed in a thicker strain of the stuff. It was MADE of fear.

I pulled my braid over my shoulder, and held it underneath my nose. Hopefully it would stop me from breathing in as much of the fear dust.

It worked. I felt calmer already. Apparently Moana, Jack and Flynn had figured it out as well, since they were both holding either a bunch of hair or a sleeve over their faces.

It was getting darker as we got closer to Hook, so half of us were holding lit wands over our heads by the time we reached the end of the corridor.

Very slowly, Jack opened the door. And there, in all his gleaming, red-coated glory, was Hook.

The next few moments were so confused that I could barely tell what was going on. Hook had begun firing spells the instant the six of us appeared, so no one had time to give orders or make a plan. The two Slytherins, Rapunzel and Moana launched into the fight seamlessly. I couldn't tell how they were doing it. Ducking and weaving around every spell Hook shot at them, and then managing not to hit each other with their own magic. It was astounding.

And was that...? I looked closer. It was! A flash of red hair from the middle of the crowd told me that Merida had emerged from somewhere and joined in.

Merida! Her family! Where were they? Were they okay?

I looked at Hiccup. He pointed towards the back of the room. I looked, but couldn't tell what he meant. He shook his head, and gestured for me to follow him.

"What?" I asked loudly, trying to be heard over the yelling from the others.

"Her family and the Darlings," Hiccup shouted. "They're in here somewhere. We need to find them!"

"I know!" I said, nodding. We'd have to go back through the door we came in by, which was blocked by a mess of people and bunch of rebounding magic. I looked around. There was no other option.

I grabbed Hiccup's hand, and sprinted. We covered our heads as we ran, but it wasn't enough to stop every spell. When we came to a halt once we were out the door, we were a little worse for wear. I'd been grazed by what was probably a confundus, judging by my sudden dizziness. Hiccup had been clipped with a stupefy, and was leaning against a wall to keep himself from blacking out.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I hope so," he said, straightening back up again. "Anyway. Where do you think they'd be?"

"I've got no idea. We'll have to search the whole house."

The first few rooms we checked were empty, and I began to wonder if we'd be able to find them at all. It was a huge house, and there could be any number of secret rooms to put hostages in. After five minutes of searching, Hiccup stopped. He looked at me thoughtfully.

"If you were trying to keep a group of prisoners as far away from you as possible, where would you put them?" he asked.

I chewed my lip. "Well, in a house as big as this... probably the basement or the attic."

He nodded. "Exactly."

"We still don't know how to get there," I said. "It'll take forever to find the right stairs."

"We could split up."

"No way! Haven't you ever read a book? That's the worst idea!"

Hiccup crossed his arms. "Fine then," he said. "It'll take twice as long, though."

He might have started off skeptical, but I had a feeling he was glad we had stayed together. I was, anyway. I'd begun seeing pictures in the swirls of shadowy sand, pictures I would have liked to avoid looking at. I saw the darkness in the shape of my parents' bodies a couple of times, as well as Anna's. I guess that was one of my greatest fears; something happening to my sister. Another pattern I spotted in the sand a few times was drifting snowflakes. I had no idea what that was supposed to represent. Why would I find snow scary?

"Stairs over there!"

Hiccup pointed ahead of us. The stairs spiralled upwards into a roundish tower, and were oddly coated in more sand. Wasn't it supposed to be thinning out as we got further away from Hook?

I soon saw why. We arrived at the top level of the house and were immediately met with a swirling mass of darkness. It was loud, but not with talking or screaming. It just sounded like loud white noise. I drew in a breath. The muggles must have been caught inside it.

"Wendy? John? Michael?" I called. If I squinted, I could see the outlines of a few arms and legs, but I couldn't tell if anyone was conscious, or even alive.

"Wendy, I heard someone!" A faint voice came from the cloud.

Hiccup looked at me. "That's John. I'm going in."

"Wait-!" I grabbed at him, but he'd already disappeared.

I breathed out shakily. Okay then. What did he expect me to do, stand here and wait? Because if I did, I'd probably be sick with anxiety.

Before I had time to regret anything, I ran into the middle of the mass of sand. I could still breathe, but I felt my heart rate rising. The fear was beginning to control me.

I could just hear Hiccup's voice above the roaring white noise. He must have been talking to one of the muggles. It was completely dark in there, so I started to feel my way across the ground. I quickly came across a hand. And not even a dead one.

"What was that?" The voice attached the hand jumped. It was feminine and had a Scottish accent. Probably Mrs DunBroch.

"Um... my name's Elsa," I said. "Are you Merida's mum?"

"Yes!" I felt two hands grab hold of mine. "Are you one of her friends? Do you know if she's alright?!"

"Oh, sh-she's fine," I said, although I couldn't be sure of that. She was fighting Hook as we spoke.

"Oh, thank God. And what about that man, the one with the hook for a hand? Is he still here?"

"Unfortunately yes," I said. "But we're working on that."

I was trying to work out how Mrs DunBroch was being held down, and was surprised when I found that it was just a bunch of rope. From the way it was wrapped around her, I figured Hook had probably cast an incarcerus on her. It was an easy spell to undo - you didn't even need magic - but I suppose the darkness, fear, and physical restraint had mixed into a fairly unpleasant combination. I had nothing I could use to cut the rope, though, and so yelled through the darkness in Hiccup's general direction.

"Hiccup! You wouldn't happen to have a blade of some sort on you, by any chance?"

I waited for a second before feeling a hand touch my shoulder.

"Oh, there you are," he said. "Yes, actually. I have a knife. Give me a second."

I shifted impatiently in the darkness. "Why do you even have a knife, anyway?"

Hiccup snorted, then answered with a Scottish accent, imitating his father. "Because we here on Berk are descended from Vikings, son. We need to prepared for anything, and do our ancestors proud. Here's a dangerous knife to carry around even though you're only five years old and will inevitably hurt yourself or other people with it at some point."

I accepted the handle of the knife from Hiccup and started sawing at the ropes that bound Mrs DunBroch. "Your dad gave you this when you were FIVE?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said, strangely nonchalant. "Berk is like that."

I shook my head in wonder, and cut through the last loop of rope. Merida's mum stood up slowly. "Thank you, dear."

I smiled, though I knew she couldn't see it in the dark. "You're welcome."

The next few minutes were spent freeing the rest of the DunBroch family, and then the three Darlings. We blundered back into the light, and then down the stairs.

"Fair warning," Hiccup said as we got closer to the room where we'd started off. "Hook and our other friends are probably still fighting. You guys should stay here."

The Darlings obeyed happily, but Merida's parents weren't so easy to convince.

"We could do something to help, surely," Merida's dad said.

"I doubt it," I said apologetically. "But if you really want to, you can wait outside the door."

I didn't really want to go back into the room myself. I was afraid we'd find everyone dead.

But as we arrived at the door, and Hiccup turned the handle, I realised that I was being silly. I could hear at least a few people's voices from inside, so some of our friends must have been okay.

Hiccup took a deep breath and opened the door all the way.

I'd been preparing to strike with my wand, but it was unnecessary. The others had gotten the situation completely under control. Hook was bent over and limping, and putting up a very feeble fight. He wasn't going to be killing anyone else now.

Merida saw as at the door, and smiled.

"You missed all the action!" she said, making her way over. Her nose was bleeding, but apart from that she looked fine. "We're not really sure what to do now. We could finish him off quite easily, but... it wouldn't be fair, you know?"

I took another look at Hook, who looked as if he could barely hold onto his wand anymore. Merida had a point.

"Just let Jack kill him!" Flynn yelled from the other side of the room. "He killed Gothel!"

"That was different," said Rapunzel. She seemed oddly pink in the cheeks, and avoided making eye contact with Flynn. Weird.

Jack himself was as reluctant as you'd expect. "I don't know; I think killing one dark wizard was enough for me."

Flynn prodded him. "You're not _scared_ , are you?"

Jack crossed his arms. "No!"

I suppose the DunBroch parents had overheard the obviously not-fighting-conversation, because they entered the room. There was the initial shock of seeing Hook staggering around their living room, but it quickly turned to relief when they spotted their daughter.

"Merida!"

"Mum! Hey, don't squash me!"

"Are you alright, sweetheart? You're bleeding!"

"It's just my nose. I could have walked into a door for all you know."

Mr DunBroch walked up behind the two of them. "Not meaning to interrupt, but what are we going to do about this... man?"

We had formed a sort of circle around Hook, since he wasn't a danger to anyone anymore. I looked around, but no one said anything.

Personally, I didn't think we needed to finish him off. Hook was about to die. I was sure of it. As he struggled on the ground for his last few moments, he raised his head, scarlet blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

His eyes bore into my soul. "You may have killed me, little brats. But the legacy of Captain James Hook will stay with you forever. You will remember me _as long as you live_."

In his final deed on this earth, he stretched out his hook-hand. Then, in one swift motion, he swung it with all his might at the person nearest to him.

The gleaming hook caught around Hiccup's left ankle. For a second, time seemed to slow down. I watched, immobile, as the unthinkable happened.

The hook ripped right through his skin. And not just the surface, either. It dug right into the flesh, spreading a sickly scarlet stain on the fabric of his clothes. I watched in entranced horror as the hook continued to move; surely any moment it would become embedded in the ankle. But with one last stomach-churning rip, it tore through the rest of the skin and bone. All the way through.

And even though Captain Hook lay dead at our feet, no one even gave him a second glance.

Hiccup hadn't made a noise, and was now lying on the ground. Nobody reacted, but my mind instantly began screaming at me. _Get up! Move! HE IS GOING TO DIE!_

I let out a pathetic half-sob, half-yelp, and dropped to my knees at Hiccup's side. This seemed to kick everyone else into action, but all I could see of them were blurry movements out the corner of my eye. I was focused on only one thing at that moment.

I looked at my friend. I needed to take in everything, but there was so much happening that I didn't know where to start. He was as pale as a ghost, and he breathed in short, shuddery gasps. His eyes were half closed. And, of course, there was the leg. It had been sliced very neatly, but the actual cut was no longer visible. All I could see was blood. _Everywhere_. Soaking the trouser leg, seeping across the floor in a crimson circle. I could smell it, too. It had a metallic tang to it that made me want to gag.

I remembered the last time I'd sat on the floor next to an unmoving body. I covered my mouth to stop myself from making any audible noise. My parents' death had been five years ago, but I felt as if it had only happened yesterday. _I lost my Mum and Dad, Hiccup. I can't lose you too._

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and jumped. It was Mrs DunBroch.

"Is he awake?" she asked. It was then that I realised everyone had arranged themselves in groups. Mr DunBroch was sitting in an armchair with the triplets, looking slightly ill. I didn't blame him. Rapunzel, Moana, Merida, and Flynn were crowded around Hiccup's leg, obviously trying to stop the bleeding. That left Merida's mum, Jack, and me to check his vital signs. Jack already had two fingers on Hiccup's thin wrist, concentrating intently. I turned back to Hiccup. _Was_ he awake?

I shook his shoulder gently, hoping that would be enough. To my surprise, it was.

His eyes opened slowly and a strangled gasp came from his mouth.

I felt Hiccup's hand encircle my wrist. His fingers were as cold as a corpse's. As cold as my parents' had been. _No! That was different. Nobody's dead this time, not yet._

I brushed Hiccup's hair away from his forehead and watched as he grimaced in pain. He was deathly white, which would have had something to do with the rate he was losing blood. The others were clearly doing everything they could, but to no avail.

Hiccup's fingers around my wrist loosened, which made me snap back to attention to check if anything had changed.

It had, but not in the way I'd feared. He'd opened his eyes, though it looked like he was having trouble focusing.

"Elsa?" His voice was a scratchy whisper. "Am I going to die?"

I swallowed. I had no idea! I wanted to curl up into a ball, close my eyes, block my ears and cry. But I couldn't tell a potentially dying person that. "No. Of course not."

That wasn't enough information for Hiccup. He needed to see for himself. His arms must have been pretty weak, but that didn't stop him from struggling to sit up. Mrs DunBroch, still behind me, held his shoulders down firmly.

"You don't want to do that, little one," she said with an apologetic smile. "It looks a lot worse than it is."

I personally disagreed. The crimson puddle, the detached foot, and the crowd of people with bloody hands looked exactly as bad as it was.

Hiccup clearly didn't have the energy to keep struggling, and lay back down. He fell back, eyelids growing heavier every time he blinked. I looked away for a split second, and when I turned back, he was out cold.

"Do you think that'll work?" I heard Moana's voice, and stood up to see what the others were discussing.

They'd tied a piece of fabric under Hiccup's knee to stop the bleeding. It was pretty tight, and didn't look half bad for untrained teenagers to have done it. However, the leg was still oozing blood.

Jack hit the floor with a fist. "No, it's _not_ going to work! Nothing will work! He's going to die and we can't do anything about it! So much for being wizards."

"I thought you'd surely have spells for this sort of thing," Mrs DunBroch said. "You really can't do anything?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "Not that we know. We're only second years, after all. Besides, I think the hook had some sort of enchantment on it that stops other spells from working. That's the rumour, anyway."

I closed my eyes. I couldn't help my friend. No one else could help him, either. Was there really no way around this?

No. He was going to die.

Unless...

I sat up straight. It was a crazy idea, but what other choice did we have?

"Mrs DunBroch?" I asked. "I think I might know how to stop the blood."

"Anything's worth a shot, dear," she said sadly. "Go ahead."

I crouched down so that the leg was right in front of me. I tried hard not to look directly at it, and stretched out a hand. Almost immediately, I felt the tingle of frost on my fingertips. With my eyes squeezed closed, I touched the remaining ankle and let the ice flow from my hand.

I opened one eye. When the frost reached the piece of fabric around his knee, I stopped. I held my breath.

Sure enough, the blood was completely frozen. It had stopped flowing out of the leg altogether.

It had worked! Maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay after all.


End file.
